
ss. 




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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Chap..J-A Copyright No.. __ 



Shelf. 



£1.2. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE NEW 



HOME AND HEALTH 



AND 



HOME ECONOMICS 



A Cyclopedia of Facts and Hints for all 

Departments of Home Life, Health 

AND Domestic Economy 



ILLUSTRATED EDITION, WITH REVISIONS AND ADDITIONS 



■ BY 

W. H. DePUY, A.m., D.D., LL.D. 

Editor of The People s Cyclopedia, Uniiiersi^' of Literature, etc. 






\ INAV 08189«, 

Printed for the Author 1 **" Hi 

HUNT & EATON PRESS ^XTI ^W*^ ^ J^ 

New York *■ 

1896 



^' 






1 







•^^V' 



Copyright, 1896, by 

WILLIAM H. De PUY, 

New York. 



Copyright, 1879, by 

PHILLIPS & HUNT, 

New York. 



DEDICATION. 



This book is dedicated : 

1. To our Mothers, who made the homes into which we were received. 

2. To our Wives, who make the liomes in which we live. 

3. To our Daughters, who are to make the homes for other toilers. 

4. To all our Readers who have good homes, and to those who need 
them. 



The first sure symptoms of a mind in healtb^ 
Ib rest of heart, and pleasure felt at home. 

— Youngs' Night Thoughts. 

Home is the resort 
Of love, of joy, of peace, and plenty, where, 
Supporting, and supported, polished friends 
And dear relations mingle into bliss. 

— Thompson's Seasons. 

Look to your health, and if you have it, praise God, and value it next 
to a good conscience. For health is the second blessing that we mortals are 
capable of — a blessing that money cannot buy. Value it 

Surround the sick man with the pomp of kings ; let his chaii be a throne, 
and his crutch a scepter; he will look with contemptuous eye on marble, on 
gold, and on purple, and would deem himself happy could he enjoy, even 
under thatched roof, the health of the meanest of his subjects. — Zschokke. 

The fireside is a seminary of infinite importance. Fevv can receive the 
honors of a college, but all are graduates of the home. The learning of the 
university may fade from the recollection, its classic lore may molder in 
the halls of memory ; but the simple lessons of home, enameled upon the 
heart of childhood, defy the rust of years, and outlive the more mature, but 
less vivid, pictures of after years. — Goodrich. 

I will not, therefore, believe that what is so natural in the house of an- 
other is impossible at home ; but maintain, without fear, that all the court- 
esies of social life may be upheld in domestic societies. A husband as 
willing to be pleased at home, and as anxious to please as in his neighbor'^ 
house ; and a wife as intent on making things comfortable every day to liei 
family as on set days to her guests, could not fail to make their own houit 
happy. — Phillip. 



PREFACE. 



This volume has been prepared for a given purpose. 
Tlie supreme end sought in it is itsefidness. It is a book of 
practical knowledge. No s])a(^e has been given to rhetoric. 
The greateM ammmt of htformatum in the smallest space has 
been the ever-present ideal. 

The preparation of these pages has been a constant de- 
light. The privilege of putting so many hundred important 
suggestions into a hundred thousand homes, to enter into 
the convictions and manners and lives and destinies of so 
many young people, and bear the fruit of peace and comfort 
and gentleness and culture in a million homes of the future, 
is gratefully accepted as the opportunity of a life-tiyne. 

In the first edition of Home and Health the department 
of Home was contributed by the Rev. C. M. Fowler, D.D., 
LL.D., then senior editor of The Christian Advocate in New 
York, (and since then elected a Bishop of his Church ; ) and 
this department has been retained without change. 

W. H. D. 



AUTHORITIES CONSULTED.' 



Hand- Book for Hwne Inij>r<ytferne}U 

The Ho'tuiekeepef' a Manual. By Catlierine E. Beecher and Harriet Beecher 
Stowe. 

Life at Home. By Rev. \Vm. Aikmau, D.D. 

Half-Hmir Studies of Life. By Rev. E. A. Johnson, D.D 

The Art of Coiioernafiou. 

HiWa Manual of Social and BuxiiKs.s Fonrus. 

The Arrieri-can Journal of the Medical Sodeties. Philadelphia. 

Medical atul Surgical Reporter. Philadelphia. 

The Sanitariati^ and Organ of the Alediri>- Ln/al Sorieti^. New York. 

Popular Science Monthly. New York : D. Appletoii & Company. 

Appleton's Jo^irnal. New York : D. Appletoii & Company. 

New Jersey Ei'lecticy Medical, and Surgical Journal. Newai'k, N. J. 

American Agriculturist. New York : Orange Judd Company. 

Phrenological Journal, and Journal of Health. New York : S. R. Wells & 
Company. 

Herald of Health. New York: Wood & Holbrook, Publishers 

TIte Lancet. London, England. 

New York Eclectic Medical and Surgical Journal. Edward N. Fishblatt, 
M.D. 

Atfterican Journal of Microscopy. New York. 

Hall\ Journal of Health. New York 

Report of Special Committee on Croup of the Illinois State Medical Soci- 
ety, 1878. H. L. Gill, M.D. 

Till the Doctor Com.eii. By Geo. M. Hope, D.D. New York : G. P. Putnam 
(V Sons. 

Steeled Fourteen Weeks in Physiology. New York : A. S. Barnes & Com 
pany. 

We also add, as helpful to us, the names of Rev. L. D. Barrows, D.D., 
'md Rev John Wesley, A.M 

• Partial Liat 



Home and Health. 



* ^9^ * 



HOME. 

Only Man has a Home. — The tired lark sinks in the evening shades 
down to its quiet nest, and offers its grateful anthems for the boon of a 
house ; but man, wearied with the strifes of the mart and of the field, seeks 
shelter in his home, the sacred retreat of the heart. Foxes have holes, birds 
have nests, lions have dens, tigers have lairs, dogs have kennels, but men 
have homes. The supreme putting of divine love is found in Jesus, when he 
forsakes his home, and wanders a stranger, not having where to lay his head ; 
while the extreme display of human sinfulness is found with those human 
creatures who are " without natural affections." 

Virtues of the Hearth are the Securities of the Peoples. — The 
home is the cradle of the great virtues. The Church was organized in the 
family. The power to command his household and his children after him 
was the spring of Abraham's call to be the Father of the faithful and found- 
er of the Church. There is one bond that encircles earth and heaven. 
It is woven from the most tender longings and hunger of the heart. It binds 
the humblest home on earth to the Home of our Father on High. It domes- 
ticates the angels in cabins. The love of mother is often the last cable that 
holds a youth to his moorings. Beaten upon by the storm of his passions, 
every other stay gives way. Every other anchor drags. But the love of 
mother, that was dropped deep into his soul's substance before he got out of 
the nursery, holds. While that holds he is almost certain to outride the 
wildest gales. So the Home, which is the sanctuary where this spirit pre- 
sides, is a perpetual protection. It is an ark floating with us down the tide 
of the years. It carries the virtues that make the citizen, and the inspira- 
tions that develops the saint. It is not merely a shelter from the storm, it 
is also a workshop, where the grandest characters are built. It is a pre- 
eminent opportunity for the achievement of good. To miss this chief pur- 
pose of the home is to lower its grade. 

The Home builds the House. — The divine idea of home-life types the 
building. There is something in every germ of life which determines its 
form. Time and opportunity brmg out only this ideal. The germ of a ker- 



10 Home and Health. 

nel of barley can be matured, not into a stalk and head of wheat, but into a 
Btalk and head of barley. The germs of the fish and of the bird and of 
man are, at certain stages of development, indistinguishable. But there is 
always present a superintending spiritual power, too subtle for our micro- 
scopes and chemistries, that determines what form each shall wear. The 
fish grows into a fish. The bird becomes a bird. The man matures into a 
man. Each obeys its inner bias. Thus the inner instinct, or thought of the 
home, fashions the house. Its apartments grow upon this stalk. From the 
kitchen where the animal is fed, the nursery where the training is ordered, 
the chamber where the recuperative forces are stored, the sitting room where 
the social life is nourished, to the reception room or parlor, where the life of 
society is met and mastered — all these grow about the deeper idea of home. 
It is this subtle and powerful spirit, born out of the innermost heart, that in- 
variably locates the home where the heart is. The settler's cabin and the 
peasant's hut, clothed with this inspiration from the heart, become centers of 
comfort and contentment that time is unable to drive from the mind. Life 
rises out of this inspiration to its highest values. Thus the home becomes 
the measure of a nation's stability. A tramp may become a hired soldier, 
but he can hardly rise to the promptings of patriotism. His life has too 
little in it to be worth much defending. His life is cheap. He waits for 
whatever may happen. When a man has a home he becomes immediately 
interested in the peace of the community. He has given hostages against 
mobs. It is important for him that the pavement stones should keep their 
places, and not go flying through the air. Both heads and windows acquire 
a sacredness from those in which he is interested. A man without a home 
has little motive for standing against public perils. If a land does not fur- 
nish a man so much as a home, he can drift away when it becomes dangerous 
to remain anchored. Fill any land with good homes, and it must be a good 
place in which to live. It is one peculiarity of the Anglo-Saxon peoples 
that they abound in homes. The walls about the hearth shut out all the 
world, and shut in a kingdom. This is the fort ; keep it clean and free, and 
religion will thrive and liberty will dwell in the land forever. 

The Origin of the Family. — The most ancient organization in the race 
is the Family. It was God's first appointment for man. Other means might 
easily have been devised for the perpetuation of the race, but God saw that 
it was "not good that the man should be alone," so he put "the solitary in 
families." 

How the Family Develops Character. — The family is the oldest 
school known among men. Its molding and educating work begins in that 
university where the mother's lap is the recitation room, the mother is the 
DPofessor. and the motlier's eye is the teit-book. Sclioola enme as public 



Home. 11 

examinations, to determine or show how much the pupil has learned else- 
where. The Church is an after-thought. The family furnishes the elements 
out of which later character and knowledge are constructed. Other means 
of influence and instruction touch the soul in spots, but the family furnishes 
an enveloping atmosphere, that presses upon the absorbing faculties at every 
point and through every moment. It is too easy to trace family marks 
through successive generations. Blood runs in channels prepared by nature, 
but these channels may be reversed or broken over. A given amount of ca- 
pacity, that is, so much blood and so much brain, may be brought by opposite 
environments to results as widely separated as the opposite poles of the 
moral universe. The man with a brogue in his speech, and a club in his 
hand, and a low passion in his heart, may differ from the statesman with a 
richness in his accents, and the reins of government in his hands, and a uni-, 
versal philanthropy in his heart, only by so much as the influences of the 
family in which his capacities were surrounded. 

The Family often Ripens Rapidly Those who Carry its Burdens. — 

Two young people fall into the conviction of approaching oneness. They 
seem but children. He is trifling, and she is foolish. lie divides his time 
between his old boyish sports and his new boyish love. She turns from her 
dolls to her lover. They are children, and too young to be thought of as 
marriageable. But in the courage or folly of their love they take the outer 
vow. Now watch them. Often they have blundered, but nearly always, 
when the union was a marriage performed under the sanctions of their 
hearts, we see them straighten up and sober down. They cease suddenly to be 
children. We wonder at their dignity and stability. We trembled when 
they passed into the cloud. But they are clothed upon with higher charac- 
ter. It seems as if nature, fearing lest she should disparage her divinest 
ordinance, hastens to forgive the folly of premature obedience, and corrects, 
as far as possible, the mistakes of youth. 

The Family Multiplies Happiness. — The road into happiness is al- 
ways the road out of self. When one has no one for whom he cares more 
than for himself, the cup of his happiness is very small. The babe, onl} 
able to use a rattle, can have but little joy compared with its delight when it 
can pour itself out for some loved one. Other friendships than those of 
the family last with the sunshine. But into every life some rain must fall. 
Then, worn with the rude shocks against the rough world, one returns to his 
quiet family to be soothed and re-established in the eternal verities of fidel- 
ity and integrity. The comforts may be few, but so long as these are not 
placed above their true rank, and the deeper and abiding realities of the 
heart are emphasized, there is sure to come a flood of comfort that makea 
one ready for another strife with the worhl. 



12 Home and Health. 

Washington Irving says that "a married man, falling into misfortunes, is 
more apt to retrieve his situation in the world than a single one, chiefly be- 
cause his spirits are softened and relieved by domestic endearment and self- 
respect." The happiness he imparts and receives adds wings to his speed 
and spurs to his purpose, and difficulties that otherwise would have been too 
great for a half -formed resolution yield before the supreme impulse from the 
family. 

The Family Blesses in Necessitating Housekeeping. — It is one of 
the glories of a family that it must come to housekeeping. Boarding is a 
necessary evil in exceptional cases, but it is not a part of the plan. It may 
sometimes be an expedient, like a tent, while a house is being built, or on hard 
campaigns where houses cannot be built. The order of life is home-keepinff. 
A family is a unit in society, not a fraction. The home is a man's castle, and 
he must be the lord of it. To live in a trunk with the feeling that some one 
else owns the key, and may lock you out by day or in by night, dwarfs the 
best part of a man's faculties. Boarding houses have their mission, just as 
any other remedial agency for the sick or deformed or unfortunate in society 
has its work. People should go to a boarding house just as they do to a hos- 
pital, when they must, and then be thankful that they can get a good one. 

Housekeeping separates the family unit from the fragments of families, 
and gives it a chance for religious and individual life. The little girl who 
said to her Sunday-school teacher, " We have not got any Bible, we board," 
told a secret much deeper than she knew. 

Have some house, little if it must be, but have it, and live by yourselves. 
There you can suit your living to your income. There you can train your 
children in influences which you can command. There you can create and 
preserve a Christian atmosphere which shall determine their destiny, and pos- 
sibly your own. There you will find a fort which you command, a door 
which you only can open ; a place where you are constantly built up into 
kingship. 

According to Jeremy Taylor : *' Home is the proper scene of piety and 
patience, of the duty of parents, and the charity of relatives ; here kindness 
is spi'ead abroad, and love is united and made firm as a center. Marriage 
hath in it less of beauty, but more of safety than single life ; it hath more 
care, but less danger ; it is more merry and more sad ; it is fuller of sorrows 
and fuller of joys ; it lies under more burdens, but is supported by all the 
strength of love and charity, and those burdens are delightful." The family 
gathered in a Christian home is the type of the eternal home where the whole 
family of God shall be finally gathered. 

So important is a home that it is worth much to give any hint that may im- 
prove its order, hallow its precincts, sweeten its atmosphere, purify its com- 
munions, increase its efficiency, unfold its relations, elevate its affections, ex- 



Home, 13 

alt its intelligence, protect its virtues, perpetuate its faith, or impress its im- 
portance. If we can aid in giving to America men and women who shall 
abide in the comforts and securities of home, if we ca aidn in rendering more 
honorable this altar of religion and cradle of patriotism, this model of the 
Church and unit of the State ; if we can aid in checking the worldly rush out 
of the home into the chase for pleasure, the struggle for gain, and the brawl 
for fame which sweeps away so many men and infects so many women in our 
time, we shall be content. If by hints, practical suggestions, rules wrought 
out of the experience of the good and wise, and instructions gathered from 
the world's teachers every-where, we can aid the father in being a providence 
and a parent, the mother in being a queen and a companion, the boy in be- 
coming a vigorous and manly man, and the girl in ripening into the graces of 
an intelligent, refined woman ; if by the words of this book we can help to 
perfect and actualize the Christian home, so that here and there throughout 
the land a barefooted boy, or a poor girl, or a weary mother, or a tired father, 
finding some new hope, or better culture, or higher life, shall rise up and bless 
these pages, then we shall not be sorry on account of the work, nor on ac- 
count of the criticism of those who may most need these suggestions. 



MARRIAGE. 



What God Thinks of Marriage. — In the beginning God created man, 
and then created for him one woman, because it was not good for him to be 
alone. He created for him only one woman because it would not be good for 
him to want to be alone. It is not without a providential purpose that the 
number of the males is kept so nearly equal to the number of the females for 
80 many ages. " They twain shall be one flesh," said the great Teacher. Not 
they twenty shall be one flesh, but twain. He shall cleave unto his wife, not 
unto a score of wives. The Lord avoids the perils of both extremes. He 
wants a man to be the husband of only one wife. It is almost as unnatural 
for him not to have one as it is wicked to have more than one. For ** the 
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the 
faith/) giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils ; speaking lie^ 
in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron ; forbidding to 
MARRY." 1 Tim. iv, 1-3. 

Principles Governing Marriage. — The following principles are formu- 
lated with the full knowledge that it is not possible to give infallible di- 
rections for every case. But it is also believed that the chances that these 
rules will apply are immeasurably greater than that your case is really an 
exception to the laws that generally obtain over people. Let it not be for. 



14 Home aot) Health. 

gotten that these rules are to find their application and do their helpful 
work before the interested party is committed either in word or in feeling. 
Love always blindfolds that he may lead captive. These rules are given not 
chiefly for those who most need them, but for those who may need them 
hereafter. 

1. Seek each other^s happiness. A selfish marriage that seeks only its own 
happiness defeats itself. Happiness is a fire that will not burn long on one stick. 

2. Give your best judgment full authority. Wedlock is not an impulse, but 
a life. Like Christianity, it may be miraculously started, but it must depend 
upon arguments and works of righteousness for its prosperous continuance. 

3. Do not marry suddenly. It can always be done till it is done, if it is 
a proper thing to do. 

4. Marry in y(ur own grade in society. It is painful to be always apologiz- 
ing for any one. It is more painful to be apologized for. 

5. Do not marry downward. It is hard enough to advance in the quality 
of life, without being loaded by clay heavier than your own. It will be suf- 
ficiently diflScult to keep your children up to your best level without having 
to correct a bias in their blood. 

6. Do not sell yourself. It matters not whether the price be money or 
position. « 

7. Do not throw yourself away. You will not receive too much even if you 
are paid full price. 

8. " Be ye not unequally yoked together with tmhelievers." Argument cannot 
add to the authority of this rule. 

9. Seek the advice of your parents. Your parents are your Jbest friends. 
L They will make more sacrifice for you than any other mortals. They are ele- 
vated above selfishness concerning you. If they differ from you concerning 
your choice it is because they must. 

10. Do not marry to please any third party. You must do the living and 
enduring. 

11. Do not marry to spite any body. It would add wickedness to folly. 

12. Do not marry because some one else may seek the same hand. One glcve 
may not fit all hands equally well. 

13. Do not marry to get rid of any body. The coward who shot himself to 
escape from being drafted was insane. 

14. Do not marry merely for the impulse love. Love is a principle as well 
as an emotion. So far as it is a sentiment it is a blind guide. It does not 
wait to test the presence of exalted character in its object before breaking 
out into a flame. Shavings make a hot fire, but hard coal is better for the 
winter. 

15. Do not myyrry without love, A body without a soul soon becomes 
offensive. 



Ma/rriage. 15 

16. Do not regard marrying as absolutely necessary. While it is the general 
order of Providence that people should marry, yet Providence may have some 
other plan for you. 

17. Beware of spiritual impressions concerning this subject Four young 
preachers consulted their Presiding Elder concerning marrying. Each said 
he felt called of God to marry one certain lady. 

1 8. Remember that love does not long survive respect. 

19. Beware of mere magnetism. 

20. Test carefully the effect of protracted association. If familiarity breeds 
contempt before marriage, it will afterward. 

21. Test carefully the effect of protracted separation. True love will defy 
both time and space. 

22. Co7isider carefully the right of your children under the laws of heredity. 
It is doubtful whether you have a right to increase the number of invalids 
and cripples. 

23. Do not marry simply because you have promised to do so. If a seam 
opens between you now it will widen into a gulf. It is less offensive to re- 
tract a mistaken promise than to perjure your soul before the altar. Your 
intended has a right to absolute integrity. 

24. Avoid long engagements. Touching off a shell with a fuse two or three 
years long is an uncertain experiment. 

25. Marry character. It is not so much what one has as what one is. 

26. Do not marry the wrong object. Themistocles said he would rather 
marry his daughter to a man without money, than to money without a man. 
It is well to have both. It is fatal to have neither. 

27. Demand a just return. You give virtue and purity, and gentleness ana 
integrity. You have a right to demand the same in return. Duty requires it. 

28. Accept nothing in the place of integrity. Any person who can deliber- 
ately lie will do any thing else under favorable circumstances. There is no 
foundation to character when integrity is wanting. 

29. Require brains. Culture is good, but will not be transmitted. Brain- 
power may be. 

30. Remember that health precedes svx:cess. 

31. See where the candidate is going. The mother of Dr. Henry, the com- 
mentator, was told by her father when her hand was sought, " We do not 
know whence this man came." She replied, " I know whither he is going, 
and I want to go with him." 

32. Study past relationships. The good daughter and sister makes a good 
wife. The good son and brother makes a good husband. 

38. Never marry as a missionary deed. If one needs saving from bad 
habits he is not suitable for you. 

34. Beware of one ivho has been intemperate. The risk is too great. 



16 Home and Health. 

86. Beware of a skeptic. If he doubts God he will doubt virtue. 

36. Look for thrift in the blood. If it does not appear, it must leak out 
through some defect in the character or habits. 

37. Observe the Bible rule concerning consanguinity. In the transactions of 
the American Medical Association, published March, 1859, Dr. Bemis of Ken- 
tucky gives details of the history of nearly 1,000 married couples who were 
more or less related before marriage. His facts abundantly prove such mar- 
riages to be unfavorable to the health, life, character, and talents of the 
offspring. About 900 of the children of these parents died young, of con 
sumption or scrofula. 

From the reports of Hospitals, Asylums, Penitentiaries, etc., it is found 
thnt about 10 per cent, of all the blind, deaf and dumb, idiotic and insane, 
have parents who were blood relatives before marriage. Similar facts are 
well known respecting some of the royal families of Europe. 



HOW TO PERPETUATE THE HONEY-MOON. 

Continue your courtship. Like causes produce like effects. 
Do not assume a right to neglect your companion more after 
marriage than you did before. 
Have no secrets that you keep from your companion. A third 

party is always disturbing. 

Do not conceal your marriage for an hour. Busy bodies may per- 
plex you with advice. Madame Le Brun kept her marriage a secret for a short 
time, when people advised her to drown herself rather than marry Le Brun. 
Even the Duchess d'Arembourg said, " For Heaven's sake, don't marry him 1 " 
The very concealment begets perils. Integrity is the law of safety. 

Avoid the appearance of evil. In matrimonial matters it is often that 
the mere appearance contains all the evil. Love, as soon as it rises above 
calculation and becomes love, is exacting. It gives all, and demands all. 

Once married, never open your mind to any change. If you keep 
Ihe door of your purpose closed, evil or even desirable changes cannot 
make headway without help. 

Make the best of the inevitable. Persist in looking at and present- 
ing the best side. Such is the subtle constitution of the human mind, that we 
believe what we will ; also, what we frequently tell. 

Keep step in mental development. A tree that grows for forty years 
may take all the sunlight from a tree that stops growing at twenty. 

Keep a lively interest in the business of the firm. Two that do 
not pull together, are weaker than either alone. 



Flow to Perpetuate the Iloney-fuo »n. 17 

Gauge your expenses by your revenues. Love um.st eal. The 
sheriff often levies on Cupid long before he takes away the old furniture. 

Start from where your parents started rather than from where 
-hey now are. Hollow and showy boarding often furnishes the too strong 
temptation, while the quietness of a humble home would cement the hearts 
beyond risk. 

Avoid debt. Spend your own money, then it will not be necessary to 
blame any one for spending other people's. 
Do not both get angry at the same time. It takes two to quarrel. 
Do not allow yourself ever to come to an open rupture. Things 

unsaid need less repentance. 

Study to understand your companion's disposition, in order to 
please and avoid friction. 

Study to conform your tastes and habits to the tastes and 
habits of your companion. If two walk together, they must agree. 

Chang and Eng were the Siamese Twins. Chang made Eug lie 
down when sick. It killed Eng, and Chang could not survive him. Take 
care of Eng. Few people survive divorce. 



HOW TO BE A GOOD HUSBAND. 

Honor your wife. She must be exalted and never dethroned. 

Love your wife. The measure is, as Christ loved the Church and 
gave himself for her. 

Show your love. All life manifests itself. As certainly as a live tree 
will put forth leaves in the spring, so certainly will a living love show itself. 
Many a noble man toils early and late to earn bread and position for his wife. 
He hesitates at no weariness for her sake. He justly thinks that such indus- 
try and providence give a better expression of his love than he coivld give 
by caressing her and letting the grocery bills go unpaid. He fills the cellar 
and pantry. He drives and pushes his business. He never dreams that 
he is actually starving his wife to death. He may soon have a woman left to 
superintend his home, but his wife is dying. She must be kept alive by the 
same process that called her into being. Recall and repeat the little atten- 
tions and delicate compliments that once made you so agreeable, and that 
fanned her love into a consuming flame. It is not beneath the dignity of the 
skillful physician to study all the little symptoms, and order all the little 
round of attentions, that check the waste of strength and brace the stagger- 
ing constitution. It is good work for a husband to cherish his wife. 
2 



IS Rome and Health. 

Suffer for your wife, if need be. Christ sufifered for the Church. 

Consult with her. She is as apt to be right as you are, and frequentl* 
able to add much to your stock of wisdom. In any event, she appreciates 
your attentions. 

Study to keep her young. It can be done. It is not work, but worry, 
that wears. Keep a brave, true heart between her and all harm. li you 
\vill carefully walk in the way of righteousness you can shield her from can- 
kering care. Providence will not be likely to bring upon her any :hing that 
is not for her good. 

Help to bear her burdens. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill 
the law of love. Love seeks opportunities to do for the loved object. She 
has the constant care of j^our children. She i.^ oi'dained by the Lord to stand 
guard over them. Not a disease can appear in the community without her 
taking the alarm. Not a disease can come over the threshold without her 
instantly springing into the mortal combat. If there is a deficiency any- 
where, it comes out of her pleasure. Her burdens are every-where. Look 
for them, that you may lighten them. 

Make yourself helpful by thoughtfulness. Remember to bring into 
the house your best smile and sunshine. It is good for you, and it cheers up 
the home. There i^^ hardly a nook in the house that has not been carefully 
hunted through to drive out every thing that might annoy you. The dinner 
which suits, or ought to suit you, has not come on the table of itself. It 
represents much thoughtfulness and work. You can do no more manly 
thing than find some way of expressing, in word or look, your appreciation 
of it. 

Express your will, not by commands, but by suggestions. It is 
God's order that you should be the head of the family. You are clothed 
with authority. But this does not authorize you to be stern and harsh, as an 
officer in the army. Your authority is the dignity of love. When it is not 
clothed in love it ceases to have the substance of authority. A simple sug- 
gestion that may embody a wish, an opinion or an argument, becomes one 
who reigns over such a kingdom as yours. 

Study your own character as husband. Transfer your deeds, with the 
impressions they might naturally make, to some other couple, aud see what 
feelings they would awaken in your heart concerning that other man. Are 
you seeking to miiliiply the joys of your wife, as well as to support her? 
Ai-e you an agreeable associate among your companions? If not, why should 
you expect your wife to be pleased with you? Have you acquired the ability 
to entertain and cheer your friends? If not, it is time you were studying t<> 
im.prove yourself as a husband. If you can, make yourself a moilel husluiiid. 



IIow to he a Good Ilu6ha/iid. 19 

and that will help your wife to be a model wife, and that will insure your 
home against shipwreck and your happiness against decay. 

Seek to refine your nature. It is no slander to say that many men 
have wives much more refined than themselves. This is natural in the in- 
equalities of life. Other qualities may compensate for any defect here. But 
you need have no defect in refinement. Preserve the gentleness and refine- 
ment of your wife as a rich legacy for your children, and in so doing you will 
lift yourself to higher levels. 

Be a gentleman, as well as a husband. The signs and bronze and cal- 
louses of toil are no indications that you are not a gentleman. The soul of 
gcmtlemanliness is a kindly feeling toward others, that prompts one to secure 
their comfort. That is why the thoughtful peasant lovof in always so "-entle- 
manly, and in his love much above himself. 

Remember the past experience of your wile. In all probability she 
has left a better home than the one to which she comes. All the chano-cs 
for the worse are painful. Only her love for you extracts the pain. She 
cannot but contrast your pinched accommodations with the abundance she 
left. It is right that these changes should come. Young people cannot 
commence where the aged leave off. Yet it becomes you to remember that 
she has taken you instead of all these comforts, and you must see to it that 
she has no reason to regret her exchange. Make the most of her better na- 
ture. This refinement enters into her value as a mother and a maker of a 
home. 

Level up. If your wife has the advantage in culture and refinement, 
and this is quite a common condition, as girls usually have a better chance 
for education and more leisure for books than boys have, do not sink her to 
your level, but by study and thoughtfulness rise to her plane. The very as- 
cent will improve your home, and add to your value as a husband and to your 
influence as a citizen. 

Stay at home. Habitual absence during the evenings is sure to brine 
sorrow. If your duty or business calls you, you have the promise that you 
will be kfjU in all your ways. But if you go out to mitigle with other society, 
and leave your wife at home alone, or with the children and servants, know 
that there is no good in store for you. She has claims upon you that you 
cannot afford to allow to go to protest. Reverse the case. You sit down 
alone after having waited all day for your wife's return, and think of her at^ 
reveling in gay society, and see if you can keep out all doubts as to what 
takes her away. If your home is not as attractive as you want it, you are a 
principal partner. Set yourself about the work of making it attractive. Find 
some book to read or to have your wife read to you, or some work that both 
can be interested in. Find something that shall give interest to the even- 



'iO Home ajsij liEAi/rfi 

•zgB. Home is yo-ir only retreat. Satau fights a family as Napoleon fougui 
Js enemies — divides it, then whips the parts in detail. When you lounge 
away from home you go into temptation, and send temptation to take your 
place at home. 

Take your wife vrith you into society. Seclusion begets morbidness, 
one needs some of the life that comes from contact with society. She must 
•ee how other people appear and act. It often requires an exertion for her 
to go out of her home, but it 'S good for her, and for you. She will bring 
oack more sunshine. It is wisv to rest sometimes. When the Arab stops 
for his dinner he unpacks his camel. Treat your wife with as much con- 
sideration. 



HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE. 

Reverence your husband. He sustains by God's order a position of 
diguity as head of the family, head of the woman. Any breaking down of 
this order indicates a mistake in the union or a digressicn from duty. 

liOve him. A wife loves as naturally as the sun sh'.nes. Love is your 
»est weapon. You conquered him with that in the first _)lace. You can re- 
conquer by the same means. 

Do not conceal your love from him. If he is crowded with care, ^ud 
too busy to seem to heed your love, you need to give all the greater attention 
to securing his knowledge of your love. If you intermit he will setile down 
Into a hard, cold life with increased rapidity. Your example will keep the 
light on his conviction. The more he neglects the fire on the hearth, the 
more carefully must you feed and guard it. It must not be allowed to go 
out. Once out you must sit forever in the darkness and in the cold. 

Forsake all for him. Looking back may be as fatal to you as it was to 
Lot's wife. You have voluntarily taken him " for better or for worse." 
Henceforth'your destinies are intertwined. 

Confide in him. Distrust is a bottomless abyss 

Keep his love. It may require much care and thought, but tbe boon if^ 
vital to your happiness. 

Cultivate the modesty and delicacy of your youth. The relations 
and familiarity of wedded life may seem to tone down the sensitive and retir- 
ing instincts of girlhood, but nothing can compensate for the loss of these. 
However much men may admire the public performance of gifted women, 
:hey do not desire that boldness and dash in a wife. The holy blush of a 
maiden's modesty is more powerful in hallowing and governing a home than 
Lhe heaviest anoanicnt that ever warrior bore. 



How to be a Good Wife. 21 

Cultivate personal attractiveness. This means the storing of your 
mind with a linowlodge of passing events, and with a good idea of the world's 
general advance. If you read nothing, and make no eifort to make yourself 
attractive, you will soon sink down into a dull hack of stupidity. If your 
husband never hears from you any words of wisdom, or of common informa- 
tion, he will soon hear nothing from you. Dress and gossip soon wear out 
If your memory is weak, so that it hardly seems worth while to read, that is 
additional reason for reading. The disease is advancing to a threatening 
stage. Keep by you some well selected book. Read little by little, as you 
can. Think of what you read. Talk to your husband of it when he comoe 
If your memory fails you in the critical moment, try it again. Persist, and 
victory is inevitable. Ask him questions about it. Enlist his interest. Any 
new thing placed before him will awaken his admiration. A careful reading 
of the daily and religious papers will enable you to keep him posted by inci- 
dental references and statements while at table, or while walking or riding, 
or in the sitting-room. Soon he will come to rely upon you for his mforma- 
tion on many matters. Then your throne cannot be shaken. This need not 
occupy many moments each day. But your time will not be worth having 
<vithout it. 

Cultivate physical attractiveness. When you were encouraging the 
attentions of him whom you now call husband, you did not neglect any item 
of dress or appearance that could help you. Your hair was always in perfect 
training. You never greeted him with a ragged or untidy dress or soiled 
hands. It is true that your "market is made," but you cannot afford to have 
it " broken." Cleanliness and good taste will attract now as they did for- 
merly. Keep yourself at your best. Make the most of your physical en- 
dowments. Neatness and order break the power of poverty. 

Do not forget the power of incidental attentions. The arrow that 
pierces between the joints of the mail is the one that does the execution. A 
little time spent by your husband's side, without actually being busied 
with either work or plans or complaints, is not wasted. A hand on the 
shoulder, a look, tlie creeping of your hand into his, any of the thousand 
little things which your instinct will teach you how to do, may drive away 
a cloud, and perpetuate the sunshine. 

Make your home attractive. This means more than furniture. It 
means the thousand little touches of taste that drive the darkness out of 
the corners, and the stiffness out of the parlor, and the gloom out of the 
house. Make your home so easy that you will feel easy in it yourself. Feel 
at home in it yourself, then the others will also feel easy there. Keep your 
house clean, and in good order. It takes less time to so keep things than 
to neglect them and hunt for them. Even poverty is no excuse for dirt. 
M <ny a man is driven by home dirt to the bar-room, and through that to 



2'J Home and JIealth. 

dcatl;. Have your table clean. Your food may be coarse aud cheap, but il 
it is clean, and put on in an inviting shape, the meal will be relished. We 
have relished meals in a cabin where there was but one dish on the table, and 
that the kettle in which it was cooked. The appetizer was on the floor, 
which shone from the scrubbing-brush till one could safely eat from it. Your 
home is your kingdom. Its order and attractiveness will have much to do 
with your position as a wife. 

Preserve sunshine. People shun clouds. Light is life. It does not 
matter that some things have gone wrong. Things have ways of going 
crooked. It is not best for you to keep pouring your petty trials into your 
husband's ears. There are times when he must hear them, but study these 
times. Do not keep up such a din of complaint that he identifies the idea 
of home with the idea of distress. In a sense he is your supreme guest. 
Make the best of what you have. Keep the order at the front, and organize 
order backward as rapidly as possible. You do not wish to always appear in 
the role of a beggar who sits by the highway showing his wounds and de- 
formities as reasons for receiving pennies. Some people always retail their 
distresses and ailments, till one shuns them like a pest hospital. When your 
husband comes in, let him receive a flood of sunlight. It will do no harm if 
he comes to think of you as sunlight. True, he is under equal obligation to 
bring sunlight with him, but you can help him by example. One certain re- 
sult you will secure, namely, you will avoid all the imaginary storms, be 
better prepared to meet the real ones, and have a vast deal of sunshine in 
your own life as a constant compensation. 

Study your husband'^ character. He has his peculiarities. He has 
no right to many of them, but he has them, and you need to know them ; 
thus you can avoid many hours of friction. The good pilot steers around 
the sunken rocks that lie in the channel. The engineer may remove them, 
not the pilot. You are more pilot than engineer. Consult his tastes. It 
is more important to your home that you should please him than any body 
else Patience, time, and tact will enable you to clear out the channel, or 
make new channels through the very substance of his character. A given 
amount of study expended on him will yield a larger amount of happiness 
for your family than it can invested anywhere else. 

Cultivate his better nature. Avoid appearing to be shocked at his 
rude or crude notions, but set him to thinking about things that will elevate 
the plane of his convictions, tastes, and feelings. Books, extracts, incidents 
that contain truths which you wish him to imbibe, can be put in his way oi 
read to him in his leisure. As his standard is more elevated his actions will 
improve The winter's blast causes us to hug our wraps, but an hour's 
sypiiig sunshine causes us to throw them open and off. 



Uov) to he a Good Wife. 23 

Study to meet your duties as a wife. CrititiHc your own dofectc! 
without mercy. No one else will treat them mercifully. Correct the points 
that are wrong. If you are indifferent, cultivate interest. If you are neg- 
ligent concerning your domestic duties, take on care. Whatever a good wife 
does or ought to do, do that. You can master the science of being a wife 
as w^ell as you can master any other science. 

Seek to secure your husband's happiness. Blessing, you shall be 
blessed. You cannot anchor your end of the ship in a haven of peace while 
the other end is carried down the cataract. 

Study his interest. Many women wreck their fortune, and darken their 
future by indifference to the business interests of their husbands. They fix 
their hearts upon some display which they cannot afford. The husband must 
choose between bankruptcy and a family quarrel. Hoping against hope, he 
purchases peace at too high a price, and ruin comes in at the door which the 
wife opened to admit her pride or comfort. If need be, live in one room. 
Eat from the end of a trunk, but do not go beyond your means. Nothing is- 
more respectable than independence. 

Practice economy. Many families are cast out of peace into grumbling 
and discord by being compelled to fight against poverty. When there are 
no great distresses to be endured or accounted for, complaint and fault-find- 
ing are not so often evoked. Keep your husband free from the annoyances 
of disappointed creditors, and he will be more apt to keep free from annoy- 
ing you. To toil hard for bread, to fight the wolf from the door, to resist 
impatient creditors, to struggle against complaining pride at home, is too 
much to ask of one man. A crust that is your own is a feast, while a feast 
that is purloined from unwilling creditors is a famine. 



FACTS FOR PARENTS. 

Paternity is earth's highest dignity. The parent is the best human 

type of God. Paternal authority is the germ out of which are unfolded all 
goveriunents and all religions. It combines law, authority, power, wisdom, 
providence, punishments, pardons, remedial agencies, meicy, love, sacrifice, 
instruction, leadership and companionship. It epitomizes nature, Providenct 
and grace. 

Children are boons. Tliey impart dignity to life and furnish a motive 
for work. They gather up the witliering and fading plans for self, and cast 
them out into the future, renewed in vigor and hope. They cement the fam- 
ily in unity. 

Children give new life to a home. They warm the house. They di^- 



24 Home and Health. 

pel the gloom. Tliey constrain age to renewed youth. They irunftfonn « 
hall into a home. 

Children are great teachers of theology. They give new meaning to 
the important terms in which God seeks to reveal himself. Father, and pity, 
and pardon, and love, and faith, and authority, and probation, and punish 
ment, and recovery, derive more meaning from a single child than from all 
dictionaries and grammars comoined. They show us the supreme order in 
confusion and the instrumental character of law. In God's Kingdom it is 
true of men, "A little child shall lead them." 

Parents put their image and superscription upon their children. 
They beget them in their own image, and train them into their own faith and 
destiny. Selecting for them their toys, their playmates, their books and theii 
churches, they are responsible for their moral character and social life. 

Prepare for the duties of the parental relation. It requires appren- 
ticeship for the common mechanic arts. Long trauiing prepares the sur- 
geon to tamper with physical limbs. What thoughtfulness should precede 
the assumption of parental relations ! 

Construct your home for your children. Home may be made the 
most attractive place on earth. Many lo.<e their children as soon as they can 
escape. There is a mistake somewhere. If the house is glum and stiff, the 
children required to keep still while the parents read or doze — if the house is 
only a feeding and clothing place, or a workshop, it has none of the charms 
of home, and will be early empty. But the home should be more than a 
house. Fill it with good clieer, youthful hope, with instruction and entertain- 
ment and affection ; then it will be a perpetual benediction. Your highest 
duty is to your children. Make home so winsome to them that they will not 
go away from your eye for their pleasures. Be yourself a necessary and wel- 
come part of their work and of their study and of their sports. It is not a 
service of bondage, but a reign of love in the midst of the growing sons and 
daugHters, that you are to maintain. 

Remember that children do grow old. We can hardly believe that 
they can be trusted as we were when we were of their age. We remember 
them as our little ones. 

Recall, as distinctly as possible, your own youth. PrcSt bj ""oui 
own experience, and let your children also profit by it. 



FAMILY GOVERNMENT. FORTY-TWO HINTS. 

I. Family government is to be family government. It uses author 
ity, authoiity in love, yet authoi-ity. It ordains law. It command? the 
child's moral nature. 



Fam,Uy OoverriTnent. '2i^ 

2. It is not merely a provision for temporal relief. It iloos more 
tlinii dross, feed and nurse. It is for liigher purposes than exhorting, or ad- 
vit*ing, or caressing. 

3. It rules in the place of God. We are created in a system by a plan 
of reproduction. God creates us second-hand, and governs us in the same 
way. 

4. It prepares a religion of the hearth. This seizes upon the infinite 
Father on the first opportunity. The capacities and faculties for apprehend- 
ing God are prepared in the home, and are experimented in private, till a 
distinct idea of God is presented ; then this government rises into the spirit- 
ual government, and religion is launched upon the soul. 

5. Paren;al.nile must seek the ends sought by the Lord. Short of 
this, it is not a system of statesmanship, but a trick of politicians. It must 
seek purely Christian ends. To serve worldly purposes in our children by 
wanting for them chiefly wealth, or honor, or power, or position, is to fall be- 
low any thing worthy of the name of Family Government. 

6. Parents governing on a lower plane lose all inspiration. The 

only dignity that can draw the soul up to its own infinite heights is the word 
of supreme authority. Expediency and advice are conveniences which can 
never be galvanized into power. Governing in God's place, one cannot miss 
of inspiration. 

7. Family government may reach real piety. It is not expected that 
a mere human order will secure conversion, or that a free use of the rod will 
reach that result. It is chiefly urged that the child, obeying the representa 
tive authority from the motives which God enthrones, may be brought intc 
that spirit of trustful obedience which underlies all piety, and which make? 
salvation solely a question of God's willingness to save. 

8. The parents must be in the Spirit to attain the highest results. 

Their lives must be so steadied, their passions so quieted, as to give them the 
highest personal authority. All the human agency turns on personal author- 
ity. This means genuineness. This means authority rather than sanctimo 
niousness. Children feel only realities. When the atmosphere of the home 
is Christian, then they are sure to be encircled. 

9. Instill principles, rather than enact rules or issue commands. 

Religious life is removed the farthest possible from a ritual or ceremony. 
It is a spirit. Enlightened conviction that makes its own applications par- 
takes of the divine plan, while enactments are man's device to leave an 
offender without tn fcuse against penalty. 

10. Gentleness must characterize every act of authority. The 
Mtnrm of excitement that mav make the child start, bears no relation to act- 



26 Home ajjd Health. 

uiil obedience. The inner firmness, that sees and feels a moral conviction 
and expects obedience, is only disguised and defeated by bluster. The more 
calm and direct it is, the greater certainty it has of dominion. 

11. For the government of small children speak only in the au- 
thority of love, yet authority, loving and to be obeyed. The most 
important lesson to impart is obedience to authority as authority. The ques- 
tion of salvation with most children will be settled as soon as they learn to 
obey parental authority. It establishes a habit and order of mind that is 
ready to accept divine authority. This precludes skepticism and disobe- 
dience, and induces that childlike trust and spirit set forth as a necessary 
state of salvation. Children that are never made to obey are left to drift 
tato the sea of passion where the pressure for surrender only tends to drive 
them at greater speed from the haven of safety. 

12. After obedience is secured to authority, explanations may 
follow to strengthen authority for future storm. 

13. For a child not wrecked in deceit, appeal to religious motives. 
These are the love of God, love of virtue, love of purity, approval of theii 
own conscience, 

14. For a child dashed under falsehood, threatening the very in- 
tegrity of the character, operate on lower motive to drive him up 
into obedience. This distinguishes between fear and terror. God appeals 
to one for virtue, and may use the other in final retributions. 

15. Form in the child habits of self-denial. Pampering never ma- 
tures good character. 

16. Form in the child habits of benevolence. It partakes of the di- 
vine mind. It should become a state, and not be an impulse. 

17. Emphasize integrity. Keep the moral tissues tough in integrity; 
then it will hold a hook of obligations when once set in a sure place. There 
is nothing more vital. Shape all your experiments to preserve the integrity. 
Do not so reward it that it becomes mercenary. Turning State's evidence it^ 
a dangerous experiment in morals. Prevent deceit from succeeding. 

18. Guard modesty. To be brazen is to imperil some of the best ele 
aients of character. Modesty may be strengthened into a becoming confi 
den;-e, but brazeu-facedness can seldom be toned dowTi into decency. It 
requ res the miracle of grace. 

19. Protect purity. Teach your children to loathe impurity. Study the 
character of their playmates. Watch their books. Ke*p them from corrup. 
tion at all cost. The groups of youth in the schools, and in society, and ir 
business places, seethe with impi-oprieties of word and thought. Never re- 
lax your vigilance along this exposed border. 



Family Gave7'7ir)ient. 27 

20. In family government threaten the least possible. Some par 
euts rattle off their commands with penalties so profusely that there i;^ 
a steady roar of hostilities about the child's head. These threats are forgot- 
ten by the parent and unheeded by the child. All government is at an end. 

21. Do not enforce too many commands. Leave a few things within 
the range of the child's knowledge that are not forbidden. Keep your word 
good, but do not have too much of it out to be redeemed. 

22. Punish as little as possible. Sometimes punishment is necessary, 
but the less it is resorted to the better. 

23. Reward rather than punish. Heaven S^ better than hell. 

24. Never punish in a passion. Wrath becomes only cruelty. There 
is no moral power in it. When you seem to be angry you can do no good. 

25. Disorder means ruin. This is true of the governed and of the 
government. Order must be enforced. 

26. Brutish violence only multiplies offenders. Striking and beat- 
ing the body seldom reaches the soul. Fear and hatred beget rebellion. 

27. Avoid punishments that break down self-respect. Striking the 
body produces shame and indignation. 

28. Punish privately. It is enough for the other children to know 
that discipline is being administered. 

29. Hold a child sometimes by main force. This may give the idea 
of a resistless force without any of the cruelty of blows or fierceness of 
passion. 

30. Avoid extremes. Make your punishment severe enough to suc- 
ceed, but never too severe to show love. 

31. Never stop short of success. When the child is not conquered 
the punishment has been worse than wasted. Reach the point where neither 
wrath nor sullenness remain. By firm persistency and persuasion require an 
open look of recognition and peace. It is only evil to stir up the devil 
unless he is cast out. Ordinarily one complete victory will last a child fur 
a life-time. But if the child relapses repeat the dose with proper accom 
paniments. 

32. Leave no ambiguity about the reason and purpose for which 
you are punishing. A whipping is not so ]nany lashes. It is so raucn 
iiKjral persuasion. It means results in peace. 

33. You must discover existing offense.s. Disobedience undiscov- 
ered breaks down the moral nature. It substitutes cunning in the place of 
principle. 

34. Avoid apparent espionage. To be shadowed stirs all the evil 
within, and awakens all the disgust and wrath against the spy. 



28 Home and Health. 

35. Do not show distrust. Like begets like. 

36. Make no random charges. There are wiser ways of cross-ques- 
tioning. False accusations are never forgotten, and are made the excuse 
for offenses. 

37. Do not require children to complain of themselves for par- 
don. It begets either sycophants or liars. It is the part of the government 
to detect offenses. It reverses the order of matters to shirk this duty. 

38. How to watch. Notice hie directions, question his companicns, 
(juestion him for details. Be on the look-out for omissions. Fill the silent 
spaces with questions. A child is sure to fall through such an examination. 
A few discoveries wisely handled discourage the art of sin. 

39. Grade authority up to liberty. The growing child must have ex- 
periments of freedom. Lead him gently into the family. Counsel with 
him. Let him plan as he can. By and by he has the confidence of courage 
without the danger of exposures. 

40. Parents must respect each other. Undermining either under- 
mines both. 

41. Always keep in the spirit of love. 

42. Form an alliance with the children against the spirit of evil, 
and get them to help you conquer that evil. This inspires them by mak- 
hig them feel that they are taking the part of victors rather than of the van- 
quished. 



SUGGESTIONS TO CHILDREN. 

Reverence your parents. Always address them in respectful language. 
Sl:iiig teims that would bring them into disrepect with others are offensive. 
" The governor," "the old man," "the boss," aie terms of disrespect. Youi 
heart may not be so coarse toward them, and think such expressions only 
add spirit to your conversation, but you are working evil to yourself, rion 
"iT-ing your parents secures God's favor. 

Appreciate your parents. You will never understand how much they 
have done for you till it is too late for you duly to show your appreciation. 
You will never find any other friends who will care for you and cling to you 
in evil fortune as your parents. They may not have woildly renown, but 
they deserve your homage. Your best blood you received from them. 

Do not shorten childhood by haste. Maturity will come only too 
soon. Childhood is your probation for life. Extend it, and make the most 
of it. 



/Suggestions to VhUdren. 2i> 

Confide in your parents. Your most sacred and your most dangerous 
secrets are safer with your parents than anywhere else. Never conceal any 
habit or course of action "from them. If you cannot trust it with your 
mother it has no right in your bosom. If you would blush to tell her you 
should blush to know it. 

Never read a book you would not show your parents. Vulgar and obscene 
books or pictures will curse you all your years. The pictures haunt you. 
They blast you when you least expect it. As you value your peace read no 
book which you would blush to have your mother see you reading. 

In mature years visit and write home frequently. Soon it will be impos- 
sible. 



MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY. 

Brothers in the family. Wliatever makes you agreeable to your young 
lady friends can be added to the charms you have for your sister. Noth- 
ing is more attractive in a young man than marked attention to his sister. 

Your sister naturally expects certain protection from you. She has a right 
to receive those delicate attentions that shall protect her from coarseness 
and vulgarity. Next to your mother or wife she must receive the affection 
that is glad to comfort. 

Never leave her in want of an escort. She has a royal right to be kept 
from embarrassment so long as you are within reach. 

Sisters in the family. The office of a sister is most delicate and im- 
portant. As a sister, you are preparing your brother to move freely in 
the society of ladies. You are refining some woman's home. As the string 
follows and governs the bow so you may seem to follow, yet you do govern 
your brother. 

How to treat the aged. The Chinese set a good example in this matter. 
Never banish an aged relative to some garret. The aged deserve care and 
attention in proportion to their years and feebleness. An old person should 
have the easiest chair, should never be allowed to stand either at home or in 
a street car, or in any puDlic conveyance, or in public assemblies. 

Greet them with a hearty good morning. Inquire after their rest. Pay 
special attention in seating them at the table and in waiting upon them. 
Teach the children to wait upon them, and go occasionally to their rooms to 
gee if they need any thing. 

As they grow feeble they will entertain doubts about their being welcome. 
Seek to dispel these doubts by repeated assurances and acts of kindness. 

Talk to iliem Listen to them By questions start them on the themes 



30 Home and Health. 

of their early lives. Furnish them with books in proper type. Read to 
them as you have time, or can take it. 

Do not strain them up to your judgment. Humor their whims, if you so 
call their tastes. The old shoe is the easiest, and they now need ease, not 
discipline. 

God has special care of the aged. When the grasshopper is a burden and 
the windows are darkened he opens their way to other worlds. If they 
!iave grown old in religion he sends his angels to await their translation. 
It is good to join with the angels in ministries of kindness. 

A mother-in-law in the fanuly. Your wife is inexperienced, and the 
presence of her mother may be her greatest comfort. No one could be 
more unselfish in her counsels and care. But for your mother-in-law you 
would have never been blessed with your wife. She has bestowed more care 
and attention upon your wife than any other mortal. 

In many of the trying hours of life she relieves with her experience and 
love from anxiety and exposure. 

If her home is dismembei-ed by death or time so she becomes an inmate 
and member of your farnilv, you can ordinarily make her presence a blessing 
to yourself and family by making it a blessing to herself. The secret is in 
usefulness. The most fearful of all conditions is to feel useless. Some of 
the cares shifted from the shoulders of your wife will keep both her and 
her mother from ageing. 

The criticism and joking about mothers-in-law is coarse, and indicates a 
low nature. It is often prejudicial and always wicked. Honor the grand- 
mother of your children. Children, whose unperverted instincts are good 
tests of character, seldom go amiss concerning a grand-parent. Care of a 
husband's mother often becomes a question requiring special consideration. 
Reverence, affection, employment, and average tact will bless the home forever. 

A step-mother in the family. Remember, she makes greater sacrifices 
in attempting to care for children than they can to make her comfortable. 
If she is willing the children certainly ought not to object. Few things are 
more senseless than the constant criticism of step-mothers. No one can tell 
how soon his own children may need and be glad to secure just such help 
und love. She is brave ; honor her. 



SERVANTS IN THE FAMILY. 

A good master makes a good servant. But there are certain duties and 
rights which pertain to the servant. The servant must give the whole time 
for which he is paid. May aspire to higher positions 



/Servarits in the Famity. 3J 

May expect promotion from showing capacity in his present place, and 
from meeting perfectly its duties. 

Should identify himself with the interests of his employer. If he is not 
faithful over things intrusted to his care, who will give him things of his 
own ? 

Should preserve the strictest fidelity. 

Should serve when out of sight as scrupulously as when under the em- 
ployer's eye. God sees every-where. 

May secure his wishes by requests, not by commands. Should conforn 
his ways of doing given things to the wish of the employer. 

Should seek to meet the wish of the employer in spirit, reliability, ability, 
and activity. 

Should secure permanence of engagement by making himself necessary to 
his employer. 

Should carefully study the duties assigned, so as to perform them most 
perfectly. 

Should avoid habits and manners distasteful to his employer. 

Should avoid talking much. Speak when spoken to, and wdien drawn into 
conversation by your employer. 

Should seek to gain and retain respect. Respect is the foundation of all 
dignity. It is better to be a respected employe than a disrespected employer 



HINTS TO EMPLOYERS. 

The employer should remember that all rights do not center in himself 
His advantage is an incident of fortune. • Kindness to his employes is ir 
keeping with his highest dignity. Some tilings he ought to do in the interest 
of common manhood : 

Identify himself with the interests of his employes. Interest begets in- 
terest. 

Pay honestly what he would expect in a reversed case, and what God re 
quires. 

Pay promptly. A man with little credit needs regular payment. 

Watch over the morals of his employes. Open the future to young men 
A word or two from his superior judgment may be worth a fortune to tht 
young man, and secure a useful member of society. 

Inspire respect by the constant bearing of manhood and royalty of soul. 

Encourage the worker in his work. 

Instruct with kindliness. 

Coi-rect in authority and in gentleness. 



32 Home a^d Health. 

MISTRESS IN THE FAMILY. 

The mistress should remember that her position gives her certain dignity. 
She can safely expect her wish to be carried out without descending to a con 
troversy. Her face is the sun or the night in the house. 

She must preserve good temper. That w::: swee^^en all the hours. A smile 
»n her face and good-nature in her voice will calm any storm. 

Avoid fault-finding. Instruction can be given in a better way. Lead your 
help into higher capabilities by hints and suggestions. Know what ought to 
be done, then in a quiet, kindly way see that it i? done. 

Improve your servants by showing them how they can do better, and what 
an advantage it will be to them. 

Secure their confidence in your kindness, then you can direct them to bet- 
ter ways with ease. 

Keep them in self-respect by occasional enco'?.''aa'*^ments about their own 
neatness and personal appearance. Do not discourage a girl from brushing 
and ornamenting her hair. Let them keep their own rooms in order, as being 
parts of the hours. Make them comfortable. Servant-girls need mirrors. 

Put your servants into the way of self -care by suggestions, and occasion- 
ally helping them to mend and improve their clothes. 

Inspire them with the sense of life's worth. The motives from the future 
are urged upon servants in the New Testament. The heathen master is 
merged in the idea of God, so they are inspired to render service as unto 
God. 



SUPERIORS AND INFERIORS. 

Proper respect for superiors is a due part of liberty. In America we are 
so determined to be equal, as well as free, that we often reduce our actual 
grade by disregarding the natural proprieties of our situation. In law and 
in rights before the courts and at the polls we are equal, bat in our employ- 
ments and social relations we are as diverse as we are numei'ous. 

Children should be subordinate to parents, pupils to teachers, employed 
to employers, citizens to magistrates, the comfort of the strong and healthy 
to tliat of the delicate and feeble. 

Superiors in age, office or station have precedence of subordinates, feeble- 
ness of strength, women of men. 

A parent, teacher or employer may admonish for neglect of duty, may take 
precedence without remark or apology, while an inferior must first ask leave. 

Superiors may use language and manners of freed >m which would be im- 
proper in inferiors. 



^itperiars and Inferiors. 33 

Rospect is die from all to all. Children should show respect to the feel- 
ings o.( servants. 

It is the most exalted pliiloHophy to accept facts. Assertions against the 
facts do not exalt the lowly or debase the truly exalted. 



TRAINING CHILDREN FOR GIVEN ENDS. 

Wliat is your purpose in training — not what you would say in class or con- 
fession meeting, but in fact? Several distinct purposes animate parents. 
Look them over and decide what your case is, and what it ought to be. 

Training for usefulness. Instill into their minds the conviction that it 
is greatest to serve most. Train them — 

To wait upon themselves, instead of calling for some one to help them. 

To do helpful things. Some people think it is a sign of liberal condition 
to disregard all helpfulness. 

To appreciate an economy that saves for the sake of increasing the aggre- 
gate of supplies. 

To suspect any line of action that seeks mere personal happiness or grati- 
fication. 

To acquire useful accomplishments. Pastimes may be helpful by adding 
to the general comfort of the household. 

To understand that it is more blessed to give than to receive, to minister 
than to be ministered unto. 

To do good always as they have opportunity. 

Training for wealth. Wealth is power, and may be a blessing. We in- 
stinctively want our children to have its comforts and advantages. But to 
train for that, so that every thought shall turn on the dollar mark, is to trans- 
form the man into a money bag. Wealth must end in usefulness or in selfish- 
ness. To give your children safe views and uses of wealth you must show 
them greater objects, for the attainment of which wealth is only a means — 
use your money for great moral or religious purposes. Show them things 
for which you part with money. When they are inspired with a proper esti- 
mate of the value of money in itself, and for the great ends it may accom- 
plish, then you can set them on ways of securing it. 

Teach them to earn it. It is dangerous to learn that a dollar can be had 
in any easier way than to earn it. 

Teach them to save it The boy and the penny pulling one way secure 
the fortunes. 

Teach them to utilize capital. Let them furnish the tools and head-work 
tor men of lower capabilities. 
3 



34 Home ajst> Health. 

TeaCi. them to study and analyze the life and modes ol successful meb 
What has been done may be done agaiu. 

Surround them, as far as possible, with thrifty men. 

Let them join business with men who are in the habit of succeeding. Shift- 
less or irresponsible men will always abound, who are willing to join with 
th-».ra. 

Warn them against enterprises where they must bear all the risks, and 
Diners share the profits. 

Warn them against the peril of being in haste for wealth. Never run 
ahead of the hounds. 

Training for greatness. The Spartans brought their children to public 
tables, and reared them in the presence of their great men, that they might 
DO familiar with the greatness of Sparta. Noble ends may be kept before 
'iheir minds till they will never think of themselves as capable of little mean- 
nesses. Hold them to noble ambitions and great purposes. 

Training for refined society. The highest refinement of soul cannot 
be lost on them. It cannot harm your boy to school him into gentlemanly 
oannere and habits. To reach this advantage he must — 

Think. Be at home in his mind. Reflection and thoughtfulness pool 
rihow themselves in the face. 

Notice the manners of persons familiar with refilled society. Object le? 
sons are valuable. 

Compare his own conduct with the best models. 

Seek information by reading on these subjects. 

Practice whatever he learns that will help to refine. 

Truiixing for heaven. Follow the New Testament. 



CHOOSING A CALLING. 

But few are elected, by either endowment or taste, to any one particului 
:;alling or trade. Several doors ope.i about you. It may be true that you 
ran do aome one thing better than any of the others, but it is usually true 
that there are a number of things which you can do with tolerable success. 

Study your natural proclivities. Sometimes the sports indicate the gifts. 
Napoleon played with cannon, Nelson with ships. 

Study Providence. There is much in having things open before a boy for 
his development. 

Do not break over your natural qualifications. A successful laborer ip 
happier and more useful than an imsuccessful professional man or tradesman. 
Poor faiiiu'irt rire somolinn's made out of good lawyers. Henry Clay, working 



Choosing^ a Calling. 35 

with an ox team, would carry the ox goad on his shoulder across the field, 
and by and by come to himself, to find that he had been waiting for the team 
to come up, which, understanding his abstraction, had gone aside to graze. 

Our wishes are often presentiments of our capabilities. 

Having settled the calling, let it remain settled. You have left the ship on 
that plank, now you must reach the shore. Study on the line of your work 
You must know all about that. Doubtless you have ability that, well applied, 
would succeed in several lines. But you have no ability that will succeed in 
any, if shifting from one to another is the rule. 

Pith : study self, study Providence, choose, persist. 



HOW TO CONDUCT FAMILY PRAYER. 

Conduct it according to your strength. Gifts differ, but the spiri* 
is one. Some Christians have great fluency and boldness in prayer, others 
have the spirit of testimony, but are unable to lead others in prayer. Some, 
owing to natural timidity, or untoward tra'ning in religious exercises, or from 
the lateness of their conversion, are not able to pray in the hearing of 
others. This diversity of gifts necessitates diversity in practice. Some few 
suggestions may not be out of place. 

Have family prayer. If you cannot have it in one form have it in 
another, but have it. You are intrusted with the fashioning of the religious 
life and character of a family ; you can hardly do your best without the great 
help of family worship. The family is the type of the Church. The Church 
in the family is God's favorite idea. He established his Church first in the 
family of Abraham, because he knew Abraham that he would order his 
house and his children after him. 

Collect your household as far as possible at a stated hour each morning 
and evening, in a given room, and then read a portion of God's word, and, 
all kneeling, render thanks for the mercies received and invoke his blessing 
for the future. 

It is a good custom to have each member of the family take part in 
the service, reading in turn two or more verses, till a suitable amount has 
been read. Then sing a hymn, or two or three stanzas. If any in the 
family can play, and you have a piano or organ, it gives additional impress- 
iveness to the service. After this let the father (patriarch) who is the head 
and minister of the family church, lead in prayer, closing with the Lord's 
Prayer, in which all join. 

If the father is not a professing Christian, and does not forbid family 
worship, the duty of leadership devolves upon the mother, the same as in 



36 Home and^'Health, 

the case of the temporal death of the father. Many a family has been trained 
into righteousness by the fidelity of the mother. While it is often a great 
cross for a wife and mother to bear these burdens, yet God honors this 
fidelity by saving the children, restraining the husband, and often leading him 
to life. 

If the father cannot command courage to lead in prayer, it is often found 
profitabl** for him to read the Lord's Prayer instead of offering a prayer of 
his own construction. 

If the father cannot even venture so far, many families have been blessed 
and nurtured in godliness by all kneeling and uniting in silent prayer for a 
few moments. In the absence of other modes the reading of prayer pre- 
scribed by the Church is of service in keeping the Spirit of God in the family. 

It is a valuable custom on the Sabbath morning when the family rests 
from the labor of the week, for the worship to be varied by having other 
members of the family, the wife, or some of the children, follow the father 
in leading in prayer. 

It is helpful to have a room where all meet for prayer, and have its ap- 
pointment suited to help the devotional thought. Let the pictures in that 
room be distinctively spiritual, or religious. It may be the chapel of the 
house. 



GRACE AT THE TABLE. 

Render unto God thanks for daily bread. This should be done 
reverently by the head of the family. Some families stand round the table 
till the blessing is invoked. Some families sing the long-meter doxology. 
Some families sing the doxology, and then follow it with the vocal blessing. 
Some families bow their heads in silence, each invoking God's blessing. Some 
families repeat each a verse of Scripture. Some families repeat the Script- 
ures, thus and then ask the blessing. Any form that seems best suited to 
the tastes and convictions of the family is good enough. The supreme point 
ifl to acknowledge and thank God, and invoke his continual blessing. 



HOW TO PROFIT BY HABIT. 

Babit becomes destiny. God gives us the power to form habits that we 
may crystallize victories. All improvement in the fingers of the knitter in 
the eye of the painter, in the tongue of the speaker, in the hand of the 
artisan, is the gift of habit. Ilaljit is a channel worn in the substance of 
the soul, along which our purpose and our ability run with increased facility. 
Prayer, faith, regularity in life, all that builds up steadiness of character, i? 



How to Profit hy Rahit. 37 

lugmented by habit. Eabit is the parent's hohl upon the child, and the 
^'ood man's power against Satan. The formation of a habit reduces to this 
-simple direction : Apply yourself to a given plan industriously, punctually, 
iti(j[ persistently. 

Having this power in your mind, use it in acquiring habits of obodienw. 
H:!d of faith. 



HINTS AND HELPS IN CONVERSATION. 

The ability to converse instructively and elegantly is one of the greatest 
endowments and accomplishments. By it other minds, even of the highest 
order, are led with the greatest ease. It is a delightful way in which to re- 
ceive and impart information. Varilles said : " Of ten things which I know, 
I have learned nine from conversation." The gift of speech is man's su- 
preme distinction. This is one impassable gulf between him and the lower 
grades of life. Its use in the common every-day intercourse of life makes 
up a large part of the intellectual activity of the race. Nothing in culture 
can exceed the importance of doing it well. The following hints and helps 
have been carefully gleaned from a wide range of authorities, and are here 
presented as matter familiar to many of our readers, but as matter which 
each successive generation needs to learn for itself: 

The soul of refined conversation is the same as the soul of refined man- 
ners, namely, good-will to^^ard others and a" desire to secure their comfort and 
increase their happiness. This great law underlies all the rules on this sub- 
ject. The authoritative pv. -ting of this law is. Do as you would be done by. 

Say nothing unpleasant when it can be avoided. 

Avoid satire and sarcasm. 

Never repeat a v/ord that was not ;ntended for repetition. 

Cultivate the supreme wisdom, wliich consists less in saying what ought to 
be said than in not saying what ought not to be said. 

Often cultivate " flashes of silence." 

It is the larger half of the conversation to listen well. 

Listen to others patiently, especially the poor 

Sharp sayings are an evidence of low breeding. 

Shun faultfinding and faultfinders. 

Never utter an uncomplimentary word against any one. 

Compliments delicately hinted and sincerely intended are a grace in con- 
versation. 

Commendation of gifts and cleverness properly put are in good taste, but 
praise of beauty is offensive. 

Repeating kind expressions is proper. 



18 Home and Health. 

Compliments given in a joke may be gratefully received in earnest. 

The manner and tone are important parts of a compliment. 

Avoid egotism. 

Don't talk of yourself, or of your friends, or your deeds. 

Give no sign that you appreciate your own merits. 

Do not become the distributer of the small talk of a community. I^ie 
imiles of your auditors do not mean lespect. 

Avoid giving the impression of one filled with " suppressed egotism.'' 

Never mention your own peculiarities ; for culture destroys vanity. 

Avoid exaggeration. 

Do not be too positive. 

Do not talk to hear yourself. 

Do not talk to display oratory. 

Do not try to lead in conversation, looking around to enforce silence. 

Lay aside affected silly etiquette for the natural dictates of the heart. 

Direct the conversation where others can join with you, and impart to you 
useful information. 

Avoid oddity. Eccentricity is shallow vanity. 

Be modest. 

Be what you wish to seem. 

If you find bashfulness or embarrassment coming upon you, do or say 
something at once. The commonest matter gently stated is better than an 
embarrassing silence. Sometimes changing your position, or looking into a 
book for a moment, may relieve your embarrassment, and dispel any settling 
stiffness. 

Avoid telling many stories, or repeating a story more than once in the 
same company. 

Avoid repeating a brilliant or clever saying. 

Never treat any one as if you simply wanted him to tell stories. People 
laugh and despise such a one. 

Never tell a coarse story. No wit or preface can make it excusable. 

Tell a story, if at all, only as an illustration, and not for itself. Tell it 
accurately. 

Be careful, in asking questions for the purpose of starting conversation or 
of drawing out a person, not to be rude or intrusive. 

Never take liberties by staring, or by any rudeness. 

Never infringe upon established regulations among strangers. 

Do not always prove yourself to be the one in the right. The right will 
appear. You need only give it a chance. 

Avoid argument in conversation. It is discourteous to your host. 

Cultivate paradoxes in conversation with your peers. They add interest to 
common-place matters. To strike the harmless faith of ordinary people m 



llliUs and Helps m Conversation. 39 

my p ihlic idol is waste, but such a movement with those able to reply la 
better. 

Never discourse upon your ailments. 

Encourage yourself against threatening timidity at meeting a company by 
the thought that you could talk with any one of them. Like Napoleon, Uke 
them in detail. 

Use correct language. 

Never use slang 

Never use words of the meaning or pronunciation of which you are un- 
certain. 

Use Saxon words, and avoid foreign words. 

Avoid repetitions and hackneyed expressions. 

Avoid discussing your own or other peoples' domestic concerns. 

Never prompt a slow speaker, as if you had all the ability. In conversing 
with a foreigner who may be learning our language, it is excusable to help 
him in some delicate way. 

Never give advice unasked. 

Suit your address to the ages of the persons with whom you are speaking. 

Do not manifest impatience. 

Do not interrupt another when speaking. 

Do not find fault, though you may gently criticise. 

Do not appear to notice inaccuracies of speech in others. 

Do not allow yourself to lose temper or speak excitedly. 

Do not always commence a conversation by allusion to the weather. 

Do not when narrating an incident continually say, " you see," " you 
Vnow." 

Do not intrude professional or other topics that the company generally 
cannot take an interest in. 

Do not talk very loud. A firm, clear, distinct, yet mild, gentle, and musical 
voice has great power. 

Do not be absent-minded, requiring the speaker to repeat what has been 
said that you may understand. 

Do not try to force yourself into the confidence of others. 

Do not use profanity, vulgar terms, words of double meaning, or languagi 
that will bring the blush to any one. 

Do not allow yourself to speak ill of the absent one if it can be avoided ; 
the day may come when some friend will be needed to ( efend you in your 
absence. 

Do not speak with contempt and ridicule of a locality which ou may be 
visiting. Find something to truthfully praise and commend; thus make 
yourself agreeable. 

Do not make a pretense of gentility, nor parade the fact that you are u 



40 Home and Health. 

descendant of any notable family. You must pass for just what you are, 
and must stand on your own merit. 

Do not contradict. In making a correction say, " I beg your pardon, but 1 
bad an impression that it was so and so." Be careful in contradicting, as you 
may be wrong yourself. 

Do not be unduly familiar ; you will merit contempt if you are. Neither 
should you be dogmatic in your assertions, arrogating to yourself much con- 
sequence in your opinions. 

Do not be too lavish in your praise of various members of your own family 
when speaking to strangers ; the person to whom y^ou are speaking may know 
some faults that you do not. 

Do not feel it incumbent upon yourself to carry your point in conversa 
tion. Should the person with whom you are conversing feel the same, your 
talk may lead into violent argument. 

Do not allow yourself to use personal abuse when speaking to another, as 
in so doing you may make that person a life-long enemy. A few kind, court- 
eous words might have made him a life-long friend. 

Do not discuss politics or religion in general company. You probably 
would not convert your opponent, and he will not convert you. To- discuss 
those topics is to arouse feeling without any good result. 

Do not make a parade of being acquainted with distinguished or wealthy 
people, of having been to college, or of having visited foreign lands. All 
this is no evidence of any real genuine worth on your part. 

Do not use the surname alone when speaking of your Irusband or wife to 
others. To say to another that "I told Jones," referring to youi husband, 
sounds badly. Whereas, to say " I told Mr, Jones," shows respect and good 
breeding. 

Do not yield to bashfulness. Do not isolate yourself, sitting back in a 
corner, waiting for some one to come and talk with you. Step out; have 
something to say. Though you may not say it very well, keep on. You will 
gain courage and improve. It is as much your duty to entertain others as 
theirs to amuse you. 

Do not attempt to pry into the private affairs of others by asking what 
their profits are, what things cost, whether Melissa ever had a beau, and why 
Amarette never got married ? All such questions are extremely impertinent, 
and are likely to meet with rebuke. 

Do not whisper in company ; do not engage in private conversation ; do 
not speak a foreign language which the general company present may noi 
understand, unless it is imderstood that the foreigner is unable to speak your 
own language. 

Do not take it upon yourself to admonish comparative strangers on relig- 
*ious topics ; the person to whom you speak may have decided convictions of 



Hints and Helps in Conversation. 41 

his c^^^l in opposition to yours, and your over-zeal may seem to him an 
impertinence. 

Dr. Todd has condensed a few rules from Cowper, from which we condense 
the following : 

Choose your company, as you do your books, for profit. 

Study your company. If they are superiors, imbibe information; if not 
impart. 

Revive drooping conversation by introducing a topic of general interest. 

When any helpful thing is said, retain it. 

Bear with much impertinence. It will cure itself. 

Be free, and try to make others the same. 



GOOD MANNERS. 



Politeness is loving thy neighbor as thyself, and showing it in actions. 

Affectation is the foe of good breeding. Simple souls, with a smattering 
of rules of etiquette, and no comprehension of the principles of good man- 
ners, have caused many to undervalue a just knowledge of the principles and 
applications that aid in furnishing the true lady or true gentleman. Many 
will be helped by knowing that formal etiquette, such as the Japanese mon- 
archs extort from their subjects, has passed out of good society, and its place 
has been filled with a reign of common sense and ffood will. Some people 
glory in their rudeness^ which they often dignify with the name of frankness. 
They seem not to understand that the claims of good breeding are as radical 
and eternal as the fundamental principles of morals. 

The divine law of politeness is stated by the Great Teacher in these words, 
" As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Po- 
liteness has been defined as '* only an elegant 'form of justice," but it involves, 
also, all the moral and social feelings. It is a sincere regard for the rights 
of others, in the smallest matters as well as in the largest. It is kindness of 
heart expressing itself. Good will, good taste and self-control are easily ma- 
tured into politeness. Kindly affectioned one toward another, is the great 
secret of good manners. 

Bishop Ames saw an Indian Chief at an official interview with President 
Jackson. The Chief was as graceful as Henry Clay. The Bishop said to 
the Chief, " How is it you are so graceful, never having studied etiquette ?" 
The Chief replied, " I have no mad talk in me now." Every Christian should 
be a gentleman or a lady, measured by the etiquette of the thirteenth chap- 
ter of First Corinthians. With the Spirit and good-will of the Master in 
the heart, the refinements of the rules of good bi-eeding are easy. For 
" politeness is benevolence in little things." 



4:2 Home and Health. 

The words gentleman and gentlewoman came originally from the fact that 
the uncultivated and ignorant classes used coarse and loud tones, and rough 
words and movements; while only the refined circles habitually used gentle 
tones and gentle manners. For the same reason, those born in the higher 
circles were called " of gentle blood." Thus it came that a coarse and loud 
voice and rough, ungentle manners are regarded as vulgar and plebeian. 

Good manners are important helps in the work of life. When we show 
ourselves friendly we are always met by the same spirit. Politeness in the 
hourly intercourse of life smooths away most of the rudeness that otherwise 
might jar upon our nerves. The parent who instills into his child's mind 
and habits a simple and clear comprehension of the more reasonable princi- 
ples and rules of good breeding, has bestowed both new endowments and 
opened doors for the future. 

American manners are said to be " a little free and easy," but a great im- 
provement upon the coldness of the Englishman. Our children need restrain- 
ing, but, taken all in all, we have great reason to congratulate ourselves on 
the general good-will of Americans, and their desire to please people. This 
makes us a nation of ladies and of gentlemen. It would be well to awaken 
both the zeal of the saint and the pride of the patriot in making Americans 
the most poHte people under the stars. 

Study, observation and experiment will easily make any one master of this 
great accomplishment. 

Good manners should be taught to children gradually, and with great pa- 
tience and gentleness, always enforced by example. Parents should begin 
with a few principles with their application, and be steady and persevering 
with these till a habit is formed, and then take a few more, thus making the 
process easy and gradual. Otherwise the children, hopeless of fulfilling so 
many requisitions, will become reckless and indifferent to all. 

If a few brief, well-considered, and sensible rules of good breeding could 
be suspended in every school-room, and the children be required to memorize 
and practice them, it would do much to remedy the defects of American 
manners. 

In presenting these rules we give you the result of a careful selection from 
a variety of sources and books. We have sought to touch only the most 
common points, which may be helpful in all homes. 



TABLE MANNERS. 



Cleanliness is the first element of decency anywhere, and especially at the ta- 
ble. The person should be carefully cleansed and made presentable before 
coming to the table. Some employments necessarily soil the hands and face 



Table Manners. 43 

and clothes. Such soiling is honorable. A man should be clad suitably for his 
business. But this makes no excuse for filthiness or slovenliness at the table. 
Children should be trained, in preparing themselves for the table or for ap- 
pearance among the fami^, not only to put their hair, face, and hands in 
neat order, but also their teeth and nails, and to attend habitually to their 
nails whenever they wash their hands. 

Children should be trained in the family, in order to perfect their manners 
for the presence of strangers. If they are allowed to chatter while others 
are talking, they are certain to annoy guests. 

Table Rules. — Take your seat quietly at the table, sit firmly in your 
chair, without lolling, leaning back, drumming, or other uncouth action. 

Unfold your napkin, and lay it in your lap. 

Eat soup delicately with a spoon, using your bread with your left hand. 

Cut your food with youi knife, but the fork is to be used to convey it to 
your mouth. A spoon is employed for food that cannot be eaten with a fork. 
When eating, take your fork or spoon in the right hand. Never use both 
hands to convey any thing to your mouth. 

Break your bread, not cut or bite it, spreading each piece with butter as 
you eat it. 

Your cup was made to drink from, and your saucer to hold the cup. 

It is not well to drink any thing hot ; if you drink tea or coffee, wait till 
it cools. 

Eggs should be eaten from the shell, (chipping off a little of the larger 
end,) with or without an egg-cup. 

Be attentive to the wants of any lady who may be seated next to you, 
especially where there are no servants, and pass any thing that may be need- 
ful to others. 

There are some who insist that when a plate is sent to be replenished 
the knife and fork must be laid together on the plate. But we are happy 
to say that idea is being generally discarded. The knife and fork should be 
taken from the plate when it is passed, and either held in the hand, or laid 
down with the tips resting on the solitaire, butter-plate, or a piece of bread. 
The last way is less awkward, and much more convenient than holding them 
in the hand. 

When you have finished the course, lay your knife and fork on yoir pmte, 
parallel to each other, with the handles toward your right hand. 

Wipe you' nose if needful. If necessary to blow it, or to spit, leave the 
table. Never say or do any thing at table that is liable to produce disgust. 

Little mistakes, and occasionally a troublesome accident, may occur at table. 
Always meet them with quiet dignity and self-possession. Do not by undue 
attention increase the embarrassment. 

It is well not to seem too much in haste to commence, as if you were 



44 EoME Al^D HEALrH. 

famishing, but neither is it necessary to wait till every body is served before 
you commence. 

It is perfectly proper to "take the last piece" if you want it, always pre- 
suming that there is more of the same in reserve. 

Table Improprieties. — Never reach over another person's plate. 

Never stand up to reach distant articles, instead of asking to have them 
passed. 

Never use your own knife and spoon for butter, salt, or sugar, when it is 
the custom of the family to provide separate utensils for the purpose. 

Never set cups with the tea dripping from them on the table-cloth, instead 
of the mats or small plates furnished. 

Never eat fast, smacking the lips, nor make unpleasant sounds with the 
mouth. 

Never put large or long pieces in the mouth. 

Never open your mouth when chewing. 

Never leave the table with food in the naouth. 

Never attempt to talk with the mouth full. 

Never look nor eat as if very hungry, or as if anxious to get at certain 
dishes. 

Never sit at too great a distance from the table. 

Never lay the knife and fork on the table-cloth, instead of on the edge of 
tlie plate. 

Never make unnecessary noise with the knife and fork, or dishes. 

Never pick the teeth at table. 

Never whisper at table. 

Never yawn nor stretch nor indicate restlessness at the table. 

Never adjust the hair, clean, nor cut the nails. 

Never soil the table-cloth if it is possible to avoid it. 

Never carry away fruits and confectionery from the table. 

Never encourage a dog or cat to play with you at the table. 

Never explain at the table why certain foods do not agree with you. 

Never come to the table in your shirt-sleeves, with dirty hands or disl ev- 
eled hair. 

Never express a choice for any particular parts of a dish, unless reques',ed 
to do so. 

Never call loudly for the waiter, nor attract attention to yourself by boi& 
terous conduct. 

Never hold bones in your fingers while you eat from them. Cut the meat 
with a knife. 

Never pare an apple, peach, or pear for another at the table, without hold 
mg it with a fork. 

Never put your salt, or any thing except bread, on the table-cloth. 



Table Manners. 45 

Never wipe your fingers on the table-cloth, nor clean them in your mouth. 
Use the napkin. 

Never allow butter, soup, or other food to remain on your whiskers. Use 
the napkin frequently. 

Never wear gloves at the table, unless the hands from some special reason 
are unfit to be seen. 

Never, when serving others, overload the plate, nor force upon them deli- 
cacies which they decline. 

Never pour sauce over meat and vegetables when helping others. Place it 
at one side on the plate. 

Never make a display of finding fault with your food. Very quietly have 
it changed if you want it different. 

Never make a display when removing hair, insects, or other disagreeable 
things from your food. Place them quietly under the edge of your plate. 

Never make an effort to clean your plate or the bones you have been eat- 
ing from, too clean ; it looks as if you left off hungry. 

Never, at one's own table or at a dinner-party elsewhere, leave before the 
rest have finished without asking to be excused. At a hotel or boarding 
/iouse this rule need not be observed. 

Never feel obliged to cut off the kernels with a knife when eating green 
corn ; eaten from the cob, the corn is much the sweetest. 

Never eat so much of any one article as to attract attention, as some peo- 
ple do who eat large quantities of butter, sweet cake, cheese, or other 
articles. 

Never spit out bones, cherry pits, grape skins, etc., upon your plate. Qui- 
etly press them from your mouth upon the fork, and lay them upon the side 
jf your plate. 

Never allow the conversation at the table to drift into any thing but chit- 
chat ; the consideration of deep and abstruse principles will impair digestion. 

Never permit yourself to engage in a heated argument at the table. 
XCither should you use gestures, nor illustrations made with a knife or fork 
on the table-cloth. 

Never pass forward to another the dish that has been handed to you, un- 
less requested to do so; it may have been purposely designed for you, ami 
j^assing it vo another may give him or her what is not wanted. 

Never pvit your feet so far under the table as to touch those of the person 
on tne opposite skU ; neither should you curl them under nor at the side of 
vour chair. 

Never praise extravagantly every dish set before you; neither should you 
appear indifferent. Any article may have praise. 



46 Home and Health. 

CHURCH MANNERS. 

Be on time. No cue has a right needlessly to disturb a c jngregation or 
a preacher by being tardy. 

Never look around to see who is coming in when the door opens. It diverts 
your own and others' attention from the exercises, and is discourteous to the 
leader. 

Never talk or whisper in church, especially after the exercises are opened. 

Never pull out your watch to see what time it is when the text is an- 
nounced, or during the sermon. Better to feed on a sermon than to time it. 

Conform, if possible in conscience, to the usages of the church in which 
you worship. Kneel, stand, bow, accordingly. 

Never manifest your disapprobation of what is being said by unpleasant 
sounds, or signs, or by hastily leaving. 

Do not fidget, as though the service were a weariness. 

Be quiet and decorous to the very end. 

Do not put on your overcoat or adjust your wrappings till after the Doxol- 
ogy has been sung. 

No gentleman ever defiles a place of worship with tobacco. 

Never be one of a staring crowd about the door or in the vestib»»le, before 
or after service. 

Do nothing out of keeping with the time, place, and purpose of a religious 
assembly. 

Let your politeness be positive. Invite the near stranger to a seat. Offer 
him a hymn-book, or share with him your own. Be cordial (k> ail. But 
do not be offended if you are not specially noticed. 



INTRODUCTIONS, HOW TO GIVE THEM. 

It is neither necessary nor desirable to introduce every body to OTcry body. 
An introduction is a social indorsement, and you become, to a certain extent, 
responsible for the person you introduce. 

As a general rule, no gentleman should be presented to a lady without her 
permission being previously obtained. Between gentlemen this formality is 
not always necessary, but you should have good reason to believe Ihat the ac- 
quaintance will be agreeable to both before introducing there. 

When two men call upon a stranger on business, each should present the 
other 

The inferior should be introduced to the superior, the gentleman to the 
lady, as, "Miss A., permit me to introduce Mr. B." A lady may, however, 
1)0 introduced to a gentleman much her superior. Equals are mutually intro- 



Introductions^ How to Give Thein. 47 

duced; as, "Mr. W., allow me to make you acquainted with Mr, P.; Mr. P., 
Mr. W." 

In presenting i)ersons, be very careful to speak their names plainly ; and on 
being introduced to another, if you do not catch the name, say, without hesi- 
tation, "I beg your pardon, I did not hear the name." 

If you are the inferior, you will have too much self-respect to be the first 
to extend the hand. In merely formal intioductions, a bow is enough. 

In introducing members of your own family, you should always mention the 
name Say, "My father, Mr. A.," "My daughter. Miss A.," or, "Miss Mary 
A." Your wife is simply, "Mrs. A.;" and if there happens to be another 
Mrs. A. in the family, she may be, "Mrs. A., my sister-in-law," etc. 

If you are a gentleman, do not permit the lack of an introduction to pre- 
vent you from promptly offering your services to an unattended lady, who 
may need them. Take off your hat, and politely beg the honor of protect- 
ing, escorting, or assisting her, and when the service has been accomplished, 
bow and retire. 



SALUTATIONS, HOW TO MAKE THEM. 

Salutation is the touchstone of good breeding. You will meet an intima-te 
friend with a hearty hand-shake, and an inquiry indicative of real interest 
in reference to his health and tliat of bis family. To another person you 
bow respectfully without speaking. But you should never come into the 
presence of any person without some form of salutation. 

It is a great rudene'ss not to return a salutation. The two best bred men in 
England, Charles the Second and George the Fourth, never failed to take off 
their hats to the meanest of their subjects. A greater than either, George 
Washington, was wont to lift his hat even to the poor negro slave who took 
off his. 



RECEPTIONS. BEST METHODS. 

The duty of receiving visitors usually devolves upon the mistress of the 
(louse, and should be performed in an easy, quiet, and self-possessed manner, 
and without any unnecessary ceremony. 

When an} one enters, whether announced or not, rise immediately and ad 
vance toward him. If a young man, offer him an arm-chair; if an elderly 
man, insut upon his accepting it ; if a lady, beg her to be seated upon the 
sofa. 

If the master of the house receives the visitors, he will take a chair and 
place himself at a little distance fiom them ; if the mistress, and she is inti 
ruate with the lady, she will sit near hci 



18 Home and Health. 

If several persons corue at once, we give the most honorable place to the 
one who is most entitled to respect. In winter the most honorable places 
are those at the corners of the fireplace. 

If the visitor is a stranger, the master or mistress rises, and any persons 
who may be already in the room should do the same. 

If some who are present withdraw, the master or mistress should conduct 
\y em as far as the door. But whoever departs, if we have other company, 
we may dispense with conducting farther than the door of the room. 



VISITS AND CALLS. 

There are visits of ceremony, congratulation, condolence, and friendship. 

Visits of ceremony should be short. 

Visits of congratulation are paid to a friend on the occurrence of any par- 
ticularly auspicious event in his family, or on his appointment to any office or 
dignity. 

Visits of condolence should be made within the week after the event which 
calls for them. 

Visits of friendship are to be regulated by the peculiar laws of friendship 
and the universal principles of good manners. 

Visiting cards should be engraved or handsomely written. A written card 
is preferable to a printed card. A gentleman's card should be of medium 
size, unglazed, and plain. A lady's card may be larger and nicer, and may be 
conveniently carried in a card-case. 

A gentleman attending ladies making morning calls or visits of ceremony 
should ring the bell, folloiv the ladies in, and be the last to greet — unless he 
has to introduce. 

In terminating the call he should be the last to rise, the last to part, and 
should /o.Voio the ladies out. 

A morning call being brief, a gentleman may hold his hat, and a lady may 
keep on her things. 

Of course, soiled overshoes and wet wraps should be left outside the recep- 
;ion room. 

A gentleman attending ladies should seldom if ever be seated while they 
are standing. 

A gentleman attending sliould he prompt to serve them as to their parcels, 
pawisols, shawls, etc. 

Do not stare around the roonj. 

Do not take a dug or small child. 

Do not linger at the dinner-liour. 

Do not fidget with your cane, hat or parasol. 



Visits a/iid Calls. 49 

Do not make a call of ceremony on a wet day. 
Do not turn your back to one seated near you. 
Do not touch the piano unless invited to do so. 
Do not make a display of consulting your watch. 
Do not handle ornaments or furniture in the room. 
Do not go to the room of an invalid, unless invited. 
Do not remove the gloves when making a formal call. 
Do not continue the call longer when conversation begins to lag. 
Do not remain when you find the lady upon the point of going out. 
Do not make the first call, if you are a new-comer in the neighborhood. 
Do not open or shut doors or windows, or alter the arrangement of the 
room. 

Do not enter a room without first knocking and receiving an invitation to 
come in. 

Do not resume your seat after having risen to go, unless for important 
reasons. 

Do not walk around the room, examining pictures, while waiting for the 
hostess. 

Do not introduce politics, religion or weighty topics for conversation when 
making calls. 

Do not prolong the call if the room is crowded. It is better to call a day 
or two afterward. 

Do not call upon a person in reduced circumstances with a display of 
wealth, dress and equipage. 

Do not tattle. Do not speak ill of your neighbors. Do not carry gossip 
from one family to another. 

Do not, if a lady, call upon a gentleman, except oflBcially or professionally 
unless he may be a confirmed invalid. 

Do not take a strange gentleman with you, unless positively certain that 
his introduction will be received with favor. 

In calling, if the person you desired to see is " engaged " or *' not at home," 
leave your card. If several persons, leave a card for each, or request that 
your compliments be presented to them severally. 

If you are going abroad to be absent for some time, and want to take 
leave ceremoniously, write on your cards T. T. L, [to take leave] or P. P. C, 
[pour pre7idre coiigi,'\ inclose in envelopes, and address them to your friends. 
In taking leave of a family, send as many cards as you would if making an 
ordinary visit. 

In calling on a friend at a hotel, do not visit his room till, having an- 
nounced yourself by card, he bids you come. If he is out, add your address 
to your card, and leave it for him. 

If in making an evening visit you happen to find a party assembled, 
4 



&\J Home akb Health. 

present yourself as you would have done had you been invited. Converse 
with ease for a few moments, and then retire. 

Ill general, visits should be returned personally or by card, just as you 
ffould speak when spoken to, or answer a respectful letter. 



HOSTS AND GUESTS. 

Hosts should give their guests the home-feeling. If a host, do not 
worry your guests, but let them alone. You should not by over-attentions 
make them realize they are not at home, and perhaps wish they were. 

Promote their convenience and comfort, and open to them reasonable 
sources of entertainment and improvement, but in such an easy, graceful 
way as will make it seem no trouble to you, but a pleasure. 

You should not let their presence causelessly interfere with your domestic 
arrangements. Inform them as to the hour for meals and family worship, 
for retiring and rising — whether there will be a rising-bell. You should let 
them see that they fall as it were naturally into vacant places in the home 
circle. 

Your rooms and table should be furnished hospitably, but not extrava- 
gantly. If any thing extraordinary renders an apology necessary, make it 
at once, and cease. Do not disgust by depreciating your preparations and 
" regretting " that you have not better. 

When they speak of leaving, you will of course express any desire you 
feel to have them stay longer, but do not urge them against their and your 
sense of propriety and duty. 

Guests should shovr their hosts the home-feeling. When a guest 
learn as quickly, and conform as fully, as possible to your host's family cus 
toms. It is better for you by a little thought and attention to adjust your- 
self to their household arrangements than for some of them to be inconven- 
ienced, it may be, in their avocations. 

By keeping your room tidy, and your articles of dress in order, you will 
add to their appreciation of you. If they lack help, you may readily find 
ways of rendering them considerate service. 

Appointments. Be ex^ in keeping all appointments. 

If you make an appointment with another at your own house, devote your 
time solely to him. 

If ycu accept an appointment at the house of a public officer or a man of 
business, be very punctual ; transact the affair with dispatch, and retire the 
moment it is finished. 

At a dinner or supper to which you have accepted an invitation, be strictly 
punctual, Do not arrive much before the time nor any after. If too late 



Hosts and Guests 51 

on an occasion where ceremony is required, send in your card wi h an apol- 
ogy, and retire. 

IDinner parties. On receiving an invitation answer at once, positively 
accepting, or declining with " regrets." 

Be punctual. Do not keep the dinner waiting. Better be too late for the 
train ! 

A gentleman may offer his arm to a lady, and conduct her to the dining- 
room, the hostess leading the way, and the others following — giving preced- 
ence to age or other reasons for lespect. A lady takes the left arm of the 
gentleman. 

At the table the lady of the house sits at the head and the gentleman of 
the house opposite. The places of honor for gentlemen are next the mis- 
tress of the house, and for ladies next the master of the house, the i-ight 
hand being the place of special honor. Husbands and wives or other near 
relatives may be seated apart for more general conversation. 

Nothing on the table should be disturbed till " grace " is said. Then the 
napkins are spread. 

In " waiting," the general rule is to serve from right to left. If two or 
more wait, the sides may be served at once. 

The principal meats are often carved on a side-table, and served by at- 
tendants. 

Serve pies with forks, puddings and tarts with spoons. 

If " finger-bowls " are used, dip the fingers and wipe with the colored 
napkin. 

Interchange- civilities and thoughts with those near you. 

Evening parties. Evening parties are various, and in general, cere- 
monious as they are fashionable. 

Having accepted the invitation, do not fail to be present if you can reason- 
ably avoid it. 

A married man should never accept a lady's invitation to a party, unless his 
wife is included in the invitation. 

On entering a drawing-room where there is a party, salute the lady of the 
house before speaking to any other. Then mingle with the company, salute 
your acquaintances. Conversations may be held with others without the 
formality of an introduction. 

If a guest desires to withdraw before the company disperses, he should do 
80 as quietly and as unobserved as proper respect for the hosts will permit. 

Christmas. It is a commendable custom to celebrate the anniversary of 
the birth of Christ. The occasion is peculiarly appropriate for family gath- 
erings, and for the exchange of presents. There are no customs connected 
with the day requiring special discussion here. 



52 Home and Health. 

The New Year. In New York and other cities, every gentleman is ex- 
pected to call on his lady acquaintances on New Year's day, and each lady 
iiviio receives calls must be prepared to do the honors of her house. 

Of late years it has become fashionable for ladies in many cities and vil- 
lages to announce in the newspapers the fact of their intention to receive 
calls upon New Year's day, which practice is very excellent, as it enables 
gentlemen to know positively who will be prepared to receive them on that 
occasion ; besides, changes of residence are so frequent in the large cities 
as to make the publication of names and places of calling of great 
convenience. 

The practice of issuing personal notes of invitation is not to be commended. 
It looks very much like begging the gentlemen to come and see them. 

Upon calling, the gentlemen are invited to remove overcoat and hat, which 
invitation is accepted unless it is designed to make the call very brief. If 
refreshments are provided, the ladies will desire to have the gentlemen par- 
take of them, which cannot conveniently be done in overcoat, with hat in 
hand. Gloves are sometimes retained upon the hand during the call, but 
this is optional. Cards are sent up, and the gentlemen are ushered into 
the reception-room. The call should not exceed ten or fifteen minutes, 
linless the callers are few, and it should be mutually agreeable to prolong 
the stay. 

Best taste will suggest that a lady having the conveniences shall receive 
her guests at her own home, but it is admissible and common for several la- 
dies to meet at the residence of one, and receive calls together. In fact, 
it is pleasant for two or more ladies to receive together, as several ladies 
can the more easily entertain a party of several gentlemen who may be present 
at one time. Whether ladies make announcement or not, however, it will be 
usually safe for gentlemen to call on their lady friends on New Year's, as the 
visit will be generally received with pleasure. 

It is customary for the ladies who announce that they will receive, to make 
their parlors attractive on that day, and present themselves in full dress. 
They should have a bright, cheerful fire if the weather is cold, and a table, 
conveniently located in the room, with refreshments, consisting of fruits, 
cakes, bread, and other food, such as may be deemed desirable, Avith tea and 
coffee. No intoxicating drinks should be allowed. Refreshments are in no 
case absolutely essential. They can be dispensed with if not convenient. 

Ladies expecting calls on New Year's should be in readiness to receive 
from 10 A. M. to 9 P. M. While gentlemen may go alone, they also fre- 
quently go in -^qjrs, threes, fours or more. They call upon all the ladies 
of the party, and where any are not acquainted, introductions take place, care 
being taken that persons do not intrude themselves where they would not be 
welcome. Each gentleman should be provided with a large number of cards 



Hosts amd Guests. 63 

wiih his own name upon each, one of which he will present to every lady 
of tlie company wlicre he calls. 

The ladies keep these cards for future reference, it being often pleasant to 
revive the incidents of the day by subsequent examination of the cards received 
upon that occasion. 

An usher should be present wherever many calls are expected, to receive 
guests, and care for hats and coats. The calls are necessarily very brief, and 
are made delightfully pleasant by continual change of face and conversation. 
But however genial and free may be the interchange of compliments upon 
this occasion, no young man who is a stranger to the family should feel at 
liberty to call again without a subsequent invitation. 

The two or three days succeeding New Year's are the ladies' days for call- 
ing, upon which occasion they pass the compliments of the season, comment 
upon the incidents coimected with the festivities of the holiday, the number 
of calls made, and the new faces that made their appearance among the vis- 
itors. It is customary upon this occasion of ladies' meeting to offer refresh- 
ments, and to enjoy the intimacy of a friendly visit. 



WEDDINGS. 



It is well to know that custom gives the parties full liberty to follow their 
tastes in the style and order of their ceremony. 

For a stylish wedding, two or more brides-maids and two or more grooms- 
men are expected to be in attendance. 

For a formal wedding in the evening, invitations should be given at least 
a week before the occasion. The lady fixes the day. Her mother or nearest 
female relative invites the guests. 

It is a common practice in a well-ordered wedding in the home for the 
guests to assemble in the parlors, leaving a vacant space at the end selected 
for the ceremony. At the appointed time the bridal party come into the 
parlor in the following order: The second brides-maid and groomsman, if 
there are only two, enter the room first; then the first brides-maid and first 
groomsman, and lastly the bride and bridegroom. The officiating clergyman 
meets them so as to stand before them as they take their position on the floor. 

When the ceremony is performed in the church, (the best place for it,) the 
officiating clergyman takes his seat in the chancel or inside the altar, and 
as the party come up the aisle in the order given above, he rises and passes 
to his position, and the party form in front of the altar ; the bride and 
groom in the center, the bride at the groom's left hand, the brides-maids at 
tier left and the groomsmen at the right of the bridegroom. Sometimes the 
first brides-maid and groomsman are stationed at the left of the bride, and 
tlie second brides-maid aii*i groomsman at the right of the bridegroom. 



54 Home ajst) Health. 

Sometimes, following the brides-maids and groomsmen, the bride's moth- 
er comes to the altar on the arm of the bridegroom, followed by the bride 
Bupported by her father. In this case, during the ceremony the parents 
stand near and a little back of the bride. 

Whatever order of approach to the altar is selected, the ceremony at the al- 
tar can most appropriately follow the ritual of the Church where the ceremonv 
is performed, or of the clergyman officiating. The wish of the bride is 
Eupreme in these matters. 

In the ceremony, if the ring is used, at the proper time the bride gives 
her left hand to her first maid, who removes the glove. Meantime the bride- 
groom hands the ring (a plain gold ring) to the clergyman, who holds it till 
the bride's hand is uncovered, then the clergyman hands the ring to the 
bridegroom, who puts it upon the third finger of the bride's left hand. Then 
the ceremony proceeds according to the ritual. 

It is proper, if the bride prefers, to have only ushers without brjdes-maids, 
or to have brides-maids without ushers or groomsmen. 

The exquisite order changes with the fancy of each elegant couple. 

When the ceremony is ended, the friends remain in their places till the 
bridal party has left the church. The bridal party, in retiring, reverses the 
order of their entrance; the groom always leads the way with his bride. 

If the ceremony is performed in the house, when it is ended, the company 
present their congratulations — the clergyman first, then the mother and the 
father of the bride and the relatives, then the company ; the groomsmen act- 
ing as masters of ceremonies, bringing forward and introducing the ladies, 
who wish the happy couple joy, happiness, prosperity. 

The bridegroom takes an early occasion to tliank the clergyman, and to put 
in his hand, at the same time, nicely enveloped, a piece of gold, according to 
his ability and generosity. 



FUNERALS. 

When any member of a family dies, it is customary to send information 
and invitation to all who have been connected with the deceased in business 
or friendship. No answer is required. 

At an interment or funeral service, the members of the family have the 
first places. They are nearest to the coffin, whether in the procession or in 
the church. No mourning dresses are required, , 

In general, ministers ought not to be expected to go to the grave, unless it 
is near by. Others who are not relatives or intimate friends of the deceased 
are excused from accompanying the procession. The first carriage is for tlie 
officiating clergyman if he goes to the grave, then follow the pall-bearera 
next the hearse, after that the mourners and friends. 



Im(poTt(mt Rules of Conduct. 65 

IMPORTANT RULES OF CONDUCT. 

Always be respectful and deferential to your parents and superiors. The 
fifth commandment has not been revoked. 

Always be polite and courteous to your sisters and brothers. 

Remember that the delicate attentions and tender expressions of the lover 
should not cease after marriage. 

Mutual kindness and regard between employers and employed, besidea being 
right, would promote the interests of both capital and labor. 



IT IS POLITE: 

To inquire courteously after the family and friends of those you meet, and 
to manifest an interest in them ; 

To devote a little space in every letter to " remembrances " for friends ; 

To write occasionally to all from whom you have received special kind- 
nesses ; 

To conform your dress, and (in reason) your customs to the tastes and 
feelings of those whose guest or associate you may be ; 

To inquire after any one of whose acquaintance your friend may have 
reason to be proud ; 

To express felt interest in or admiration of those dear to him ; 

To avoid all remarks which tend to embarrass, vex, mortify, or in any 
way annoy the feelings of another ; 

To avoid combating another's religious opinions or politics ; 

To make ready sacrifices of comfort, as to escort a lady, or help a neighbor ; 

To avoid all practical jokes ; 

To avoid noticing personal defects ; 

To attend closely when addressed in conversation ; 

To avoid contradicting flatly ; 

To acknowledge by word or manner all acts of "kindness and courtesy even 
from relatives ; 

To apologize heartily when you have injured another, or hurt his feelings ; 

To show the utmost kindness to those who have been reduced by adversity ; 

To interpose and shield another from mortification and wounded self- 
respect ; 

To do evejy thing for another which will gratify him and is not unreason- 
able. 

Never — 

Never look over the shoulder of another who is reading or writing. 

Never arrest the attention of an acquaintance by a touch. Speak to him 



66 Home a^t> Heai th. 

Never, when traveling abroad, be over boastful in praise of your own 
country. 

Never exaggerate. 

Never answer questions in general company that have been put to others. 

Never point at another. 

Never call attention to the features or form of any one present. 

Never call a new acquaintance by the Christian name unless requested t< 
do so. 

Never appear to notice a scar, deformity, or defect of any one present. 

Never wantonly frighten others. 

Never exhibit anger, impatience, or excitement when an accident happens. 

Never leave home with unkind words. 

Never neglect to call upon your friends. 

Never punish your child for a fault to which you are addicted yourself. 

Never laugh at the misfortunes of others. 

Never lend an article you have borrowed, unless you have permission to 
do so. 

Never give a promise that you do not fulfill. 

Never enter a room noisily ; never fail to close the door after you, and 
never slam it. 

Never send a present, hoping for one in return. 

Never pick the teeth or clean the nails in company. 

Never be guilty of the contemptible meanness of opening a private letter 
addressed to another. 

Never question a servant or child about family matters. 

Never associate with bad company. Have good company or none. 

Never will a gentleman allude to conquests which he may have made with 
ladies. 

Never present a gift, saying that is of no use to yourself. 

Never fail, if a gentleman, of being civil and polite to ladies. 

Never refer to a gift you have made or favor you have rendered. 

Never fail to give a polite answer to a civil question. 

Never read letters Avhich you may find addressed to others. 

Never betray a confidence. 

Never attempt to draw the attention of the company constantly upon your- 
self. 

Never pass between two persons who are talking together, without an 
apology. 

Never forget that, if you are faithful in a few things, you may be ruler 
over many. 

Never exhibit too great familiarity with the new acquaintance ; you may 
give offense. 



It is Polite. 57 

Never fail to offer the easiest and best seat in the room to an invalid, an 
elderly person, or a lady. 

Never neglect to perform the commission which the friend intrusted to 
you. You must not forget. 

Never send your guest, who is accustomed to a warm room, off into a cold, 
damp, spare bed, to sleep. 

Never enter a room filled with people, without a slight bow to the general 
:!ompany when first entering. 

Never leave a room with your back to the company. 

Nerer fail to answer an invitation, either personally or by letter, within a 
week after the invitation is received. 

Never accept of favors and hospitalities without rendering an exchange of 
civilities when opportunity offers. 

Never cross the leg and put out one foot in the street-car, or places where 
it will trouble others when passing by. 

Never fail to tell the truth. If truthful, you get your reward. You will 
get your punishment if you deceive. 

Never borrow money and neglect to pay. If you do, you will soon be 
known as a person of no business integrity. 

Never write to another asking for information, or a favor of any kind, 
without inclosing a postage stamp for the reply. 

Never fail to say kind and encouraging words to those whom you meet in 
distress. Your kindness may lift them out of their despair. 

Never refuse to receive an apology. You may not revive friendship, but 
courtesy will require, when an apology is offered, that you accept it. 

Never examine the cards in the card-basket. While they may be exposed 
in the drawing-room, you are not expected to turn them over unless invited 
to do so. 

Never, when walking arm and arm with a lady, be continually changing 
and going to the other side, because of change of corners. It shows too 
much attention to form. 

Never should the lady accept of expensive gifts at the hand of a gentle- 
man not engaged to her. Gifts of flowers, books, music or confectionery 
may be accepted. 

Never insult another by harsh words when applied to for a favor. Kind 
words do not cost much, and yet they may carry untold happiness to the one 
or whom they are spoken. 

Never fail to speak kindly. If a merchant, and you address your clerk ; 
if an overseer, and you address your workmen ; if in any position where you 
exercise authority, you show yourself to be a gentleman by your pleasant 
mode of address. 

Never attemJ»^ to convey the impression that yo^: are a genius by imi- 



58 Home ai^d Health. 

tilting the faults of distinguished men. Because certain great men were 
poor penmen, wore long hair, or had other peculiarities, it does not follow 
that you will be great by imitating their eccentricities. 

Never give all your pleasant words and smiles to strangers. The kindest 
words and the sweetest smiles should be reserved for home. Home should 
be our heaven. 



AMUSEMENTS. THEIR IMPORTANCE. 

The way i •> keep the enemy out of the fort is to occupy it yourself. If 
the street and the grocery are not to occupy the time and attention of your 
boys, the home must. There have been too many children in the world to 
leave it an open question that they must have some amusement. It is 
now simply a question as to what amusements are most suitable. Even if 
authority keeps the children in-door s, something more subtle must keep evil 
thoughts from rioting in their minds. Cheerfulness in the home makes it 
attractive, and gives its ideas great advantage in the strife for control. 

When amusements become sinful. When they fail to prepare body 
or mind for the better discharge of duties. 

When they interfere with duties or employments. 

When they produce excessive fatigue, weary the mind, or deprive of neces- 
sary sleep. 

When they tend to injure the health or physical constitution. 

When they tend to weaken the intellectual powers. 

When they give a distaste for moral and religious truth. 

WJien they turn 07i an element of chance. 

When they require public pat7'onage for their maintenance. 

When they inflict needless pain. 

When they cause fright or vexation to people or animals. 

When they endanger life. 

When by their exciting nature, or their connection with temptation, they 
tend to harm the individual or community. 



HOME ENTERTAINMENT. 

Provide in the home not only instructive, but also entertaining 
reading. The philosophers in the family are not the difficult questions. 
They care for themselves. You must arrange to entertain those who will not 
grapple with hard reading or dry books. A good story may induce them to 
read, and, reading, they can be led to better books. While it is true that any 
good author will awaken inquiries which can be satisfied only by research. 



Home EntertainTnent. 59 

it is still necessary to select the stories with great care. Stories that presciil 
some historical characters, and thus become a center in the memory for 
locating other events of an age, are good bait for a child without tasto for 
reading. It is true that the parables are inventions, but they partake more 
of the character of high moral instruction than of amusement. 

Provide a good supply of pictures and toys for very young chil- 
dren. It is not extravagant, as it may seem. It fills their time, keeps out 
bad thoughts, quickens their faculties, and prevents evils that can be cor- 
rected only with great labor and pains. 

Enter into the sports of your children. Lyman Beecher was a cham- 
pion racer on all fours with a child on his back. 

Lead the children to cultivate fruits and flowers. It develops the 
love of the beautiful, and gives opportunity and means for blessing other 
people. 

Cultivate music, instrumental and vocal. It cheers the home. 

Collect shells, plants, and specimens in geology and mineralogy. 
Not to weary as a study, but to interest the children in studying the specimens, 
and learning all about them. Encourage all sorts of harmless games, which 
tend to quicken the observation, strengthen the memory, or develop the body. 
Tableaux and charades give much amusement, and call forth a good deal of 
ingenuity and intelligence, and there are various games invented — literary, 
historical, geographical, and so forth — which are very cheap, and which con- 
vey a good deal of useful information. It is amusing to give out a word, and 
call upon every one to make two or more rhyming lines containing that word. 
Spelling matches are very lively and profitable, and when the company is dis- 
posed to be grave, a word such as " tree" or " water " might be given out, and 
every one be asked to mention where it is found in the Bible. 

Give the boys boxes of tools. It develops their mechanical skill and 
ingenuity. 

Give little girls dolls, and nice large dolls to^arger girls. With 
this incentive they will speedily be introduced into the intricacies of dress- 
making, millinery, and housekeeping more easily than in any other way. 

Interest the children in decorating the home. It is a good invest- 
ment to furnish them materials with which to make little oi'naments for the 
house. Put emphasis on the value these things possess because made by 
themselves. 

Celebrate birthdays and holidays and anniversaries. It adds to 
home's attractiveness for a child to feel that there is one place where 'hey 
are glad that he ever came. 

As far as possible let each child have a companion near its own 



60 Home and Health. 

age, with congenial tastes. It gives a chance to dravr upon some forces 
outside of the family. 

Use hospitality. Keep your home open to the good and wise. Your 
children and yourself will gain much information by meeting people at your 
table. The unwritten history in things is always '.ue most instructive. God 
urges hospitality more than any other social dutj. It combines the benevo> 
lence of the Church with the instruction of the university. 

Establish a reading circle, Have this meet in your home if you can, or 
in the Chui"ch or some home of the Church. A dozen or more young men 
' and women of congenial tastes, habits, and social belongings, can easily meet 
once during every week through five or six months of the year. With a small 
fund they can buy good books, and over these, read aloud by one and another 
of their number, they can spend an hour and a half most pleasantly and prof- 
itably. They will find in these books topics of conversation for the remain- 
der of the time they spend together. These gatherings may be varied with 
nmsic and the use of the various gifte of the members — original compo>^i- 
tions, declamations, and the like. 

Keep up family relations after leaving the home. Some have adopted 
the following practice : On the first day of each month some member of the 
lamily, at the extreme point of dispersion, fills a part of a page. This is 
-calod and mailed to the next member, who reads it, adds another contribution, 
11 nd then mails it to the next. Thus the family circular once a month goe? 
from each extreme to all the members of a widely dispersed family, and each 
member becomes a sharer in the joys, sorrows, plans, and pursuits of all the 
rest. 



HOW AND WHAT TO READ. 

We live among books to find the good, the beautiful, and the true in them, 
and by them to be inspired and led into the heart of nature and into the 
soul of mankind. A few hints in this labyrinth is better than a master. 
Indiscriminate reading will give much information and lose more. It fixes 
no centers around which future acquisitions crystallize. 

A course of reading should develop all the intellectual faculties. 

A few books may give culture. Poverty, preventing you from buying 
many costly books, need not keep you from undertaking the culture of your 
mind. Lincoln read chiefly the Bible and Shakspeare. Good books can be 
frequently re-read w'th profit. 

Choosing books is important business. A single book may make or 
mar a life. Voltaire learned an infidel poem when he was five years old, and 



How cmd What to Bead. 61 

it molded his life. Hume, when a boy took the infidel side of a question in 
a debating society, and cast his die. What books will you let come into the 
place of your parents and friends ? 

Youth should be left to themselves in the selecting of books no more than 
in the selecting of companions. 

The desirableness of books depends upon their truth to nature, their eu- 
phony, language, ideas, and vigor. The best books are those that elevate the 
character by moving the heart. 

Some books should be read, whether we like them or not, because 
they are necessary to education and culture. 

Some books should be read because they are so often alluded to by other 
writers and in general conversation. 

One should be thoroughly acquainted with the books and names of the 
authors of his own land. Patriotism should lead a man to know the glory 
in the midst of which he lives. 

Read occasionally good essays, biographies, standard books of travel, and 
a little standard fiction. Sometimes too protracted reading of heavy histo- 
ries wearies the purpose of the uncultured, and the mind refuses to hold the 
results. Change of diet is good for body and mind. 

Let each prominent fact become a center of arrangement for other facts. 
When the piles are thus driven, it is wonderful how soon the sea washes in 
a new formation and foundation for future building. Every book, and al- 
most every paper, will add something to the stock of knowledge. 

Some find a blank book and a pencil good companions in reading. Thus, 
marked passages can be retained for reference, or impressed on the mind by 
the work of writing. 

If convenient, read with a friend. Discussion clears and fixes in the mind 
what you read. 

Read aloud portions of every book. It enables you to test the style of the 
author. 

Never read second-class stories. They steal the time ana weaken 
the mind. 

Never read what you do not wish to remember. 



62 Home akd Health. 



HEALTH. 



HEALTH AT HOME. 

Health is Wealth. — Health is one of the foundation pillars of happiness 
in the home. It is a condition of the best instruction and the best educa- 
tion. It is an essential preliminary to the best success in the best w ork, and 
to the highest attainment in the widest usefulness. Without it theie is sad- 
ness at the hearth-stone, silence and sorrow, instead of cheerful wo 'ds and 
happy hearts. 

" A clear bright eye, 
That can pierce the sky 
With the strength of an eagle's vision , 
And a steady brain. 
That can bear the strain 
And the shock of the world's collision ; — 

" A well-knit frame 

With the ruddy flame 
AgiOw, and the pulses leaping 

With the measured time 

Of a dulcet rhyme, 
Their beautiful record keeping ;— 

" A rounded cheek, 

Where the roses speak 
Of a soil that is rich for thriving, 

And a chest so grand 

That the lungs expand ' 

Exultant, without the striving ;— 

" A breath like morn. 

When the crimson dawn 
Is fresh in its dewy sweetness ; 

A manner bright. 

And a spirit light 
With joy in own completeness ; — 

" give me these, 

Nature's harmonies, 
And keep all your golden treasure! ; 

For what is wealth 

To the boon of health. 
And its sweet attendant pleasures I** 



ilealth at Home. 63 

What are fortunes and honors in the absence of the future health and 
Figor of our loved ones ? What is home itself, where disease abides as a per- 
manent visitor, and poisons every perfume with a malarious infection ? 

Special Home Ministry. — An eloquent French author correctly says thai 
the whole of maternity is comprised in these four words : "Blood, food, care, 
devotion." Paternity is an equal sharer here, both as to privilege and re- 
sponsibility. What ministry is more delicate, more difficult, and more sub- 
lime ? What work is greater than to give to coming parent and citizen a 
sound body, a strong mind, and a good heart ? 

This Ministry Must Begin Early. — There is an old Spanish proverb 
that " What enters with swaddling, comes out only with the shroud." Words- 
worth truthfully wrote in rhyme, " The child is father of the many Man- 
hood inherits childhood. Parentage is responsible for the character and 
value of the inheritance. 

This Ministry Illustrated. — " Behold a man ! " said Napoleon to his offi- 
cers when he first met Goethe, who was the embodiment of physical and 
mental vigor. The great poet lived to a great age, working on beyond his 
fourscore years, and remaining " robust and energetic to the last," says his 
biographer, after he had seen three generations swept by him to the grave. 
When he died — at eighty-four — the medical authorities at Weimar, being 
curious to learn the physiological problem of such great work at such an ad- 
vanced age, made a post-mortem examination, which showed that all the in- 
ternal as well as the external organs of the body were in " perfect condi- 
tion." And yet Goethe was feeble and sickly in childhood. Parental care, 
in the direction of thorough hygienic culture, with his own resolution to in- 
dulge in not a single sinful habit superadded, brought strength, and life, and 
usefulness. 

Another Illustration. — Alexander von Humboldt was another example 
of the good fruits of early and wisely directed health training. Hence it 
was that liis biographers were able to present him to the world as " the Cory- 
pheus of physical science, and a man of universal culture ; a man also of 
' society,' and of courtly life." He crowded into his ninety years of success- 
ful life whole centuries of the life and toil of other men with equal natural 
endowment, but less carefully and less wisely trained. On the 3d of May, 
1859, the journals of Berlin announced: "Alexander von Humboldt has 
been confined to his bed the last twelve days ; his strength has been gradu- 
ally failing, his mind retaining all its clearness^ In three days more, writes 
Dr. Abel Stevens, as the sunlight poured into his window, he exclaimed, 
" How grand those rays ! They seem to beckon earth to heaven ! " and died 
For twenty years or more of the time in which men are usually said to be be 
yond " the allotted period of life," when tbey usually decay ment&.ly, he was 



64 Some and Heai.th. 

writing the '* Cosmos," the grandest work of his life, and 0L.e of the greatest 
of his generation. Sanitary work is brain work ; and the successful brain 
work of mature age is the inheritance of the most careful sanitary work in 
the nursery of an intelligent home. 



CHOOSING A PHYSICIAN. 

Select the Physician Sarly. — Choose him, if possible, before he is needed. 
There is time for the greater care in the selection. There come emergencies 
in every home. If no selection has then been made, the messenger may rush 
from door to door seeking help from the first one met. There may then be 
no time for discrimination, and the practitioner may be one of doubtful excel- 
lence. The questions involved may be too important for such hurry. 

Select a Physician of Integrity. — No amount of medical or surgical 
skill can compensate for the lack of good morals and a scrupulous conscience. 
The relation is too intimate and sacred for the admission of any one of doubt- 
ful habits or reputation. Shun the physician of bad hnbits, as you would a 
person bearing the infection of yellow fever or the plague. Is he *' only a 
drunkard ? " Pity him ; try to reform him ; be a " Good Samaritan " to him ; 
but do not trust to his professional services, which demand a clear head and 
a firm hand. 

Choose a Physician of Clean Lips. — No one of impure speech, of reck- 
less or even careless words, or hints bordering on the obscene or immodest 
or vulgar, should find a place, even professionally, in any home. Don't 
excuse such a fault and pass it by with the expression, " he means well! " 
In nine cases out of ten such a man does not mean well, and if he does, his 
immodest expressions are so unnecessary, and so directly in conflict with the 
best teachings and with the best practice of his profession, as to leave him 
without the least possible excuse for their utterance. Mothers, sisters, 
fathers, brothers, invite no such person, even professionally, to your home, 
and if, by any lack of information, or by any mistake of judgment, he ma^" 
have come there, see to it that his visits are not repeated. 

He should be Able, and Thorough as a Student, and of Untiring In- 
dustry in his Profession. — The trusts placed in his keeping include that of 
life itself. They demand the most intelligent, capable, and devoted service. 
That service may not rest with even the best knowledge of the best teachers. 
The new phases of diseases, and the new information furnished by additional 
observation and experiment, must be constantly sought for and promptly 
appropriated for the benefit of his patrons. 



Choosing a Physician. 65 

Which School of Medicine should be Preferred ? — We cannot tell. 
Our own personal preferences may not be the best for others. We may 
not intrude them uninvited into the home circles of our friends. Tieir 
prejudices, like ours, may be the result in part of early education and in 
part of personal observation. There are other questions more important than 
those which determine the physician's school of medicine. In their light does 
he measure up to the line required ? 

Having Chosen Him, Give Him your Confidence. — A good physician 
will repay in thoroughness and zeal what is awarded him in ready and unmis- 
taken confidence. However strong in his own convictions and rigidly ear- 
nest in his professional work, he is sensitive almost to a fault. A word or a 
look of mistrust disheartens him in his work ; while a word or a look of un- 
reserved trust becomes an inspiration to an intense zeal for the patient. 

Having Chosen Him, Be Considerate of his Time and Rest. — His 
season for sleep and for recreation should be respected. In case of neces- 
sity it may be appropriately disturbed, but " before doing it," says a well 
known medical writer, " one should think twice." " It is his trade " is a 
harsh expression, and unworthy of considerate and devoted patients. Con- 
sider carefully your physician's hours for repose, for meals, and for church, 
and then care for him as you would have him care for you. Such ap- 
preciative care on your part will be reciprocated by him a hundred-fold. 

Don't Abuse his Confidence by Trivial Calls. — If you run for him on 
every slight indisposition, and with unnecessary alarm excite his solicitude, 
and lead him to disarrange his regular plans of visitation, he will soon learn 
to place a lower estimate upon your demands, and to respond to them with 
less promptness and solicitude. " Physicians dread fussy mothers." 

The Physician in the Intervals of Sickness. — We quote from the ob- 
servations of Prof. Poussagrieves of Paris : " There is another mistake, 
which I must point out to mothers, (without, however, slighting the fathers, 
they may well believe) — that, namely, of looking upon the physician, once 
choseo, as having no part or function in the family except when illness calls 
him there. It is a very narrow and a very dangerous conception of his role, 
and one which simply ignores one half of practical medicine, that is, hygiene. 
It is said that the Chinese pay their physicians with a liberality proportioned to 
their freedom from sickness during the year. I do not advise that we should 
imitate the Chinese ; but this stimulus to hygienic care certainly smacks of the 
judicious. We make our first appearance in families to take charge of pa- 
tients, many grave questions being resolved without our participation. Chil- 
dren often receive a guidance the reverse of what Js proper, and we are 
called upon to fulfill the ungrateful office of repairing the damages we might 
generally have prevented." 
5 



66 Home and Health. 

It is Better to Oare for a Man's Health than for his Disease. — "I would 
that the relations of physicians with their families were established on such 
a footing that the former should make visits as often as they should judge 
necessary for the prevention of disease. This would be a very precious 
protective measure. To select a good physician, to put the health of the 
whole household into his keeping, to expect of him ordinarily, besides un- 
foreseen calls, a visit at certain intervals — once a month for instance — hoM 
comforting would it be for the parental conscience ? " 

Why do Successful Medical Men often die Prematurely ?— This 
question is satisfactorily answered by Dr Bennett : " Mortality in the medical 
profession after fifty years is greater than in any other profession, and 
greatest of all among its most eminent and successful members. The 
peculiar feature of the medical profession is, that work increases with age, 
and the public do not consent to look upon ageing medical men as veterans, 
but expect from them to the end the labor of youth. . . . The barrister has 
his junior counsel who prepares his briefs, the solicitor his head clerks, the 
vicar his curates, etc., but the successful consulting physician or surgeon 
must stand alone, whatever his age, and do his work entirely himself as 
long as he practices." 

The Physician Should be Reverential. — If that profound naturalist, 
Agassiz, surrounded by his pupils in his laboratory, where were the fossils rep- 
resenting the past ages of life, would not enter upon his work without first 
uncovering his head in silent prayer to God, how should a physician feel on 
entering the mysterious chamber where disease and health, life and death, 
time and eternity, are brought into juxtaposition. If we speak of responsi- 
bility in connection with other professions, how immeasurably greater is the 
responsibility connected with the medical profession ! 

Qualities of a Good Doctor by a Doctor. — Here is a very suggestive 
summary of hints covering the question of choosing a physician. It has the 
authority of an experienced and able member of the profession. Read and 
ponder : — 

Avoid the mean man, for you may be sure he will be a mean doctor, just as 
certainly as he would make a mean husband. 

Avoid a dishonest man ; he will not be honest with you as your physician. 

Shun the doctor that you can buy to help you out of a scrape ; a goo i 
doctor cannot be bought. 

Avoid the untidy, coarse, blundering fellow, though he may bear the parch- 
ments of a medical college. 

Avoid the doctor who flatters you, and humors your lusts and appetites. 

Avoid the man who puts on an extra amount of airs ; be assured that it is 
done to cover his ignorance 



Choosing a Physicia/n, 67 

Avoid the empty blow-horn, who boasts of his numerous cases, tnd tells you 
of his seeing forty or fifty patients a day, while he spends two hours to con- 
vince you of the fact. Put him down fpr a fool. 

To be a doctor one must first be a man in the true sense of the word. 

He should be a moral man, honest in his dealings. 

He must have good sense, or he cannot be a good doctor. 

He should be strictly temperate. No one should trust his life in the hands 
>f an intemperate doctor. 

He must have some mechanical genius, or it is impossible for him to be a 
good surgeon. 

It is a good sign if he tells you how to keep well. 

It is a good sign if the members of his own family respect him. 

It is a good sign if the children like him. « 

It is a good sign if he is neat and handy at making pills and folding pow- 
ders. 

It is a good sign if he is still a student, and keeps posted in all the latest 
improvements known to the profession for alleviating human suffering. 



PREVENTION OF DISEASE. 

Early and Strange Notions of Disease. — It was supposed formerly 
that diseases were caused by the evil spirits or demons which were supposed 
to have entered the body and deranged its action. Hence it was said of the 
dumb that they had a *' dumb devil." Incantations, exorcisms, etc., were 
constantly resorted to in order to drive them out. It was thought by others 
that diseases came arbitrarily, or as a special visitation of an overruling 
power, and hence they were to be removed by fasting and prayer. 

What is Disease ? — Modern science teaches us that disease is not a thing, 
but a state or condition. When our food is properly assimilated, the waste 
matter promptly excreted, and all the organs working in perfect harmony, we 
are well ; but when any derangements of these functions occur, we are sick. 
Sickness is discord, while health is concord. If we abuse or misuse any iu- 
strument, we destroy its ability to produce a perfect harmony. A suffering 
body is simply the penalty of violated law, and follows as necessarily as an 
effect follows a cause. 

Many Diseases may be Avoided. — A large proportion of the ills which 
now afflict and rob us of so much time and enjoyment might easily be 
avoided. A proper knowledge and observance of hygienic laws would greatly 
lessen the number of such diseases as pneumonia, consumption, catarrh, gout, 
rheumatism, scrofula, dyspepsia, etc. It is a lamentable fact that in densely 



t)8 Home and Health. 

populated cities nearly one half of the children die before they are five years 
old. Every physiologist knows that at least nine tenths of these lives could 
be saved by an observance of the laws of health. Professor Bennett, of 
Edinburgh, estimated that 100,000 persons die annually in Scotland from 
diseases easily preventable, and the same testimony could be obtained from 
the medical profession in this and other countries. 

Methods of Prevention. — With the advance of medical science the 
causes of many diseases have been determined. Vaccination has been found 
to prevent or mitigate the ravages of small pox. Scurvy, formerly so fatal 
among sailors that it was deemed " a mysterious infliction of Divine justice 
against which man strives in vain," is now entirely prevented by the use of 
vegetables or lime juice. Cholera, whose approach strikes dread in the com- 
munity and for which no certain specific has been found, is but the penalty 
for filthy streets, bad drainage, over-crowded tenements, and general filthiness, 
and it may be controlled, if not prevented, by suitable sanitary measures. 
The same may be said of that dreadful scourge, the yellow fever. There is 
no quarantine like cleanliness, good drainage and ventilation. 

Responsibility of Health Commissioners. — Health commissioners in 
our cities should be men well skilled in the medical science, and the health 
of the community should not be intrusted to ignorant political partisans. A 
great deal of responsibility rests upon the municipal authorities in regard to 
the prevention of disease. 

The Divine Plan. — It is no doubt the intention of the all-wise Creator 
that we should wear out by the general decay of all the organs, rather than 
by the giving out of any particular part of the system ; and that all the or- 
gans should work together harmoniously until the vital forces are exhausted. 
There is no reason why it should be otherwise ; why all human organisms 
should not be preserved like a tree or an animal of the forest, until its allot- 
ted period of life is reached, and then decay and die. Unfortunately, as it is, 
the average life of man is short, and after deducting infancy, sickness and 
old age, scarcely more than one half is available for the active purposes of 
life. When we observe the almost constant violation of the laws of health 
80 common in every community, the wonder is that people live at all. 

Why Medicine is Taken.- — The first step in the cure of any disease is to 
obey the law of health which has been violated. If medicine is taken, it is not 
to destroy the disease, since that is not a thing to be destroyed, but it is to hold 
the deranged action in check while nature repairs the injury, and brings the 
system again into harmonious movement. This tendency or power of nature 
is the physician's chief reliance. Vis medicatrix naturae, is the great sheet- 
anchor, the power of nature to repair the breach made by violated law. The 
very best and most skillful physicians have little confidence in medicine itself. 



The Ilavian Sheleton, 



69 



THE HUMAN SKELETON-ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Preliminary to fnniisliiiig llio reader of tlie numerous practical lieaUIi 
notes in this volume (or ihe convenience of tlie latter reference, attention is 
called to the descriptive ilkistrations of the liuman sk(;leton : 



EXPLANATION. 
Bones of Head. Trunk. Legs* and Arms (Pig. T). 

1. FroDUlbona. 

2. PArietolbone. 

5, Temponl bODQ. 
4. Coronal mtore. 

6. MftlkT or cheek bone. 

6. Nasal bonea. 

7. Superior muilUry, maiTnat or upper Jawteoe. 
6. OrbiCa. 

9. Side of ocdpIUl bone. 

10. Coodjrlold proceaa ot maD<Uble or lover jav. 

11. Afigle of mandible. 

12. Syupbyais of mandible. 

13. Pour lower cervical vertebrce (T Id oil). 

14. Two upper and two lower dorsal vertebrae (12 in a 

15. Lumbar vertebrib (6 in number). 
IG. Sacrum. \ 

17. Coccyx, the lower part bidden S False Vertebra 

by the pubtc bones. ) 

18. CartUagoa of riba. 

19. Riba. 

130. Hanabrlam of sternum or brsait boos. 

21. Meaoatemum, or body of sternum. 

22. Xipbifltemnm, metaatenium, or enaiform process of 

BtemuiL 

23. ClaTlcIea, or collar booea. 

24. Coracoid process of scaQuia (shoulder bbde)> 

25. Acromion proceas ot scapula. 

26. Subacapular fosao, anterior surface. 

27. Head of buineius or arm booe. 

28. Body ot bumenis. 
2d. Condyles of humerua. 

30. Head of radius or outer bone of foroartik 

31. Body of radius. 

82. Ulna, ot loner bone of (oreamw 

33. Carpal ends of radius and uln^ 

SI Internal Iliac fossa. 

S&- Anterior superior process of Uium, 

S6. Anterior inferior process of Uiunb 

ST. Pubic symphyBls. « 

88. Tuberosity of ischium. 

89. Brim ot pelvis. 

40. Obturator foramen. 

41. Head of femur or thigh boDO^ 

42. Neck ot femur. 

43. Great trochanter of femur. 

44. Shaft Of femur. 
4{>. Condyles ot femur. 

46. Patella, or kneepan. 

47. Head of tibia or thick bone OD anterior aod inaer aide of 

leg. 
4B. Shaft of tibia. 
49. Lower extremity of UbU. 
60. Fibula, or thin bone on exterul aide of le^. 

View of Palmar Surface of Right Hand and 

Wrist (Fig. 2). 
1-6. Bofiea of the carpus, or wrist ; * 

1. Soaphold. 

S Bemllonar. 

&. Conelfoniu 

4. Piiiform. 

6. Trapedun. 

C Trapesd^ 



6.Dactfcmk 




tiijL-i^ 



9. Metu;arpal bones of thumb and fiogera. 

10. First row of phalanges of thumb and fingers 

11. Second row of phalanges of fingers. 

12. Third, or ungual, row of phalanges of fljcsn^t cud aeo> 

ond, or ungual, phalanx of thumU 

Front View of Bight Foot (Fig. 3). 

1 8,6,7-10. Bones of the tarsus : — 

L Superior articulated surface of astragalofc 

2. Anterior portion ot astragalus 

8. Calcaoeum, or he«l bone. 

4» CoauaevcemeAt of (froove o^ inter owe oua llg«ineot. 



C Scaphoid. 

6. Tuberosity of scaphoid. 

7. Internal cuneiform. 

8. Aliddle cuneiform. 

9. External cuneiIon& 
10. Cuboid. 

11. HetatATsal booea. 

Ll. First row ot phalanges of toes. 

13. Second row ot pbalaagea of fott cvte* 

It. Third, or ungual, row of phalanges of four 
outer toes, and aecoad« or ungual, phalau 
(>( great to& 



TO 



Home and Health. 



MUSCLES OF THE HUMAN BODY-ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Side View of Pull Slfirup© (Pig. 6). 



lorward, 

. Temporalis — Helps to elevate the lower jaw. 
. Orbicularis palpebraram— Closes the eyelids. 
. Mosseter — Belps to elevate the lower jaw, and move It for- 

. Sterno cleldo-mastoideua — A pair ol muBcles which together 
bow the head forward ; one acting by itaeU is able to turu 
the head, and therefore the chin, to the opposite side. 

. Trapezius — The trapezii muscles, acting together, draw the 
head directly b^kward ; one of tbedT, acting alone, incUDes 
the head to the corresponding side ; the superior part ol the 
trapezius raises the point of the shoulder. 

. Platysma myoides — Assists in depressing tbe angle of the 



and forward. 

> forroei , nhen 
bent, tlie tricejjs, by drawn* in the extrem- 
ity of the ulna, is able to extend it on the huuenis, and 
thus bring both parts of the limb into a right lio«. 

. Supinator longus — A flexor of the (ortiarm. 

. Extensor muscles of thun.b. 

. Extensor muscles of wrist. 

. Pectoralis major 1 —Conjointly with terea major (situate at 

. Latiasimus dors! ( the inferior and posterior part of the shoul- 
der) these muscles lower the arm when it has been elevated, 
press the arm closely to the ejde, and pectoralis major will 
by itself carry the arm along the side and front of the chest. 

. Serratus magnus — Assists in advancing the ficspulA and ele- 

. Rectus abdominis, in its sheath 

porting the abdominal viscera. 
, Glutseua mediua I— The glutxi act alternately on the thigh 
, OlutfBus maximua f bone and pelvis; 21, by the direction 

of its fibers, ia ^tted to draw the thigh I 

whilst it turns the whole limb outward if 

tended. 

r vaginsB f emoris — Renders the fascia tense, and turns 



in bending the leg on the thigh. 



thigh. 
. Biceps fleior I 

and in turning the Limb slightly inward and outward. 
. Gastrocnemius — Along with the soleus this mustlo forma 

the calf of the leg ; they jointly draw on the heel bone, 



lifting it fr< 

an inclined ph 
. Tibialis anticus— Co5peratee with 

the leg ; acting separately, eacl 

toward the corresponding side. 
. Extensor longus 'iigitorum — Aids 

' 3 bending the foot upon the leg. 



the groimd, and cause the toot to represent 



jttending tha toes, and 



. SoleuB — See 25, 

] Pelon^^ hK^ ] ~ *=' together In drawing the foot back. 

, PeronEEus tertius — A flexor of the foot on the leg, coOperatinc 

with 26. 8. i~ B 

, Abductor minimi digiti — Bends the little toe, and separates it 

from ihe othera. 
. Extensor proprius polllcis— Extensor of the great too. 
. Flexor longus digitorum — Bends the toes toward the sole of 



Front View of Right Arm (Fig. 6). 

I. Deltoides — See 8 of previous section. 

J. Pectoralis major — ^e 15 of previous section. 

3. Coraco brachialis — Smallest muscle of upper arm ; assists In 

moving the arm forward and upward. 

4. Biceps flexor cubiti — See 9 of previous section. 

C. Brachialis internus — Part of brachialis anticus; see 10 of pre- 
vious section. 

6. Triceps extensor cubiti — See 11 of pre^^ou8 section. 

7. Pronator radii teres — Turns the palm of the hand downward, 

and aids in bending tbe forearm on the arm. 
6. Supinator ra-lil longus — Acts as antagonist to pronator of 

the hand (7), turning the palm upward ; it is also a flexor 

of the forearm. 
9. Flexor carpi radialla — Bends the wrist, and becomes a flexor 

of the forearm. 

10. Palmarla longus, with fascia— Bends the haad upon the fore- 

arm, and aids in its pronation. 

11. Flexor profundus digitorum — Bends the fingers coward the 

palm, acta on the wrist, and assists in the bending of the arm. 
13. Flexor carpi ulnarla**£Qiui> Uid vsUtt and bwoiues A flexor 



j-^ 




13. Abductor pollicis manus — Carries the thumb 

outward nnd forward irom the palm, 

14. Flexor brevis pollicis — Flexor of first Joint of 

thumb. 

15. Palmaris brevia — A small cutaneous muscle 

connected with the muscles of the little 



Front View of Bight Leg (Ftg. 4). 

1. Gluteus medius — See 20 of first section. 

2. Tenfior vagime femoris — See 22 of first section. 

3. Psoas and illacus — Bend the thigh on the pel- 

vis, and rotate the limb outwaH. 

4. PectineuB — Contributes to bend the thigh bone 

on the pelvis. 
6. Adductor loogiis«>Ooe Ot.tUe adductoxeol the 



6. SartoriuB — Bends the leg upon the thigh ; it is 

known as ** tbe tailor's muscle." 

7. Gracilis — Acts along with adductor muscles of 



Extend the log upon the 



thigh. 
. Rectus femi 

. Vastus exteniusj thiKh ; tli 
. Vastus internua ) toriiis (6) help 

the erect position of body. 
. Biceps flexor cruris— See 24 of first section. 
. Insertion of ligament of patella into tibia. 
. Tibialis anticus— See 20 of first section. 
. Extensor longus digitorum — See 27 of first sect. 
. Peronseus longus— See 29 of first section. 
. Gastrocnemius — See 25 of first section. 
. Sol*m— See 28 of first section. 
> F<ruiufcud brevis— See 30 ol first seotioa 



Nervous and Arterial Systems. 



Tl 



NERVOUS AND ARTERIAL SYSTEMS-ILLUSTRATIONS. 




OlXMil. RtfUkBHTitlbS «l>~tS> ITe&yous ^V9TSM. 



These systems are here shown together for 
the convenience of comparisons. The veins are 
omitted liere, being similar to the arteries in 
their constiuctlon and local ramification in the 
body. 



The threat nerve centers are the brain and the spinal cord. From both 
of these, in double vertical masses, the branch nerves ramify into all parts 
of the human system. An inspection of the left-hand cut and that on page 
■73 will show tlie sources of all nerves and branches in all parts of the 
body, and why it is that an injury to the nerves in one part of the system 
paralj'zes the nerves in particular localities, and will explain the results of 
many such injuries. Thus a violent injury on the head may kill, or only 
stun for a time some of the cranial nerves. If an injury to the backbone 
takes place, tlic lower portion of the extremities on either side may be 
paralyzed. 

The arterial system here represented in the right-hand figure has its 
source of motion in the heart. The blood of the body is not held as in a 
sponge, but in pipes called blood-vessels, bearing the names respectively of 
arteries, capillaries, and veins. The largest of the first class is called aojia, 



72 Home and Health. 

and rightly appears ia the figure as severed from the heart. The aorta soon 
branches off into smaller and smaller channels until the smallest pipes, called 
the capillaries, are reached. The latter form a fine and close network, 
closer than fine silk, so that a fine needlepoint might be inserted wiil'out 
opening one of the pipes. The blood, after being carried by pulsations into 
the capillaries wliere it reaches the remotest extremities, then enters upon 
its return any channel in tlie veins, first in smaller and then in the laigei" 
ones, until it reaches the heart. " The walls of the capillaries are so very 
thin that, although there are no openings in them, a portion of the blood soaks 
through into the surrounding tissues; and, on the other hand, fluids contain- 
ing waste matter soak into them to bo carried away." 

If we shouli examine, with the knowledge and the skill of a surgeon, the 
" funny bone," we should find it to be a flat shining cord about an eighth of 
an inch broad, and tracing the cord down the arm and to the tip of the little 
finger we would find it growu smaller and smaller, and divided into in- 
numerable cords, so fine as to be visible only by the aid of the microscope. 

If we should resume our inspection of the nerve cord at the elbow, and 
follow it up the arm, we would find it joining other cords until it enters 
through one or more openings between the joints of the backbone, (vertebras,) 
and into the spinal cord, and at Last up to and into the brain, 

"The nervous system," says Professor Smith, M.D., "may be compared 
to the telegraphic system of a railroad. The nerves are the wires. The 
gray matter of the spinal cord contains the offices of the district superin- 
tendents. In the cerebrum is the office of the superintendent of tiie road. 
Suppose a mosquito lights on your face and puts in his bill. He cannot put 
it in, small as it is, without hitting one or more little nerve fibers. Instantly 
a message goes along those nerve fibers through the nerve trunks, through 
the spinal cord, and finally to the general superintendent s office. The mes- 
sage is, ' Something wrong here.' Immediately an order is sent out along 
other nerve trunks and fibers to the muscles of the slioulder and arm, and 
they contract so as to strike the mosquito." 

The new message is carried toward the brain from any point of the body at 
the rate of about ninety feet per second. Hence it is that the remote points 
of the nervous system require greater rime for recognition at the cerebrum, 
the chief headquarters of the mind. The cut will show which classes of 
nerves go direct to the brain, and which go there by way of the spinal cord. 

Considerable variations exist in the size and weight of the human brain, 
both in different races and in different individuals of the same race, and in 
the sexes. Tlie white races have the heaviest brains, the average weight 
of the brain of an adult European male being 49 to 50 ounces, and that of 
the female 44 to 45 ounces. A man's brain, therefore, is ten per cent 



Nervous and Arterial Syste^n. 



73 



heavier than a woman't?. Tiie brain Legius to lose weight at about sixty 
years ; in males it falls to about 45 ounces, and in feniales to 41 ounces. 

Heavy brains do not always mean great intellectual ability. There is, 
liowever, a minimum weight below which intellectual power is not found. 
Authorilies differ somewliat as to this hrait, but it is generally placed at 
about 37 ounces in males, and 32 ounces in females. Cudier's brain weighed 
G4| ounces; Dr. Abercrombie's, 63; Professor Goodsir'?", 571; Spurzheim's, 
55; Sir J. Y. Simpson's, 54; Agassiz's, 53| ; and Dr. Chahner's, 53. Insane 
persons have often been found to have heavj' brains, and in some cases 
idiots liave had brains weighing more tlian 50 ounces. 

Barnard Davis's researches have shown that the average brain weight is 
higher in civilized races than among savages; that the range of variation is 
much greater in the former than in the latter ; that there is an almost com- 
plete absence of brains weighing more than 54 ounces in the exotic races ; 
that while tlie male brains are heavier than the female there is not the same 
amount of difference in the average brain weight between the sexes in the 
uncultivated as in the cultivated people. 



THE BRAIN AND THE CRANIAL NERVES. 

Tlie origin of the twelve pairs of cranial nerves is shown in the illustra- 
tion below, together with the brain. F, E, the cerebrum ; D, the cerebellum, 
showing the arbor vita?; G, 
tlie eye ; //, the medulla 
oblongata ; A, the spinal 
cord without the backbone, 
in which it is ordinarily en- 
cased ; and C, B, the first 
two pairs of spinal nerves. 
References of numerals ; 

1. The olfactory, or first 
pair of nerves, wJiich ramify 
throngh the nostrils, and are 
the nerves of smell. 

2. The optic, or second pair 
of nerves which pass to the 
eyeballs, and are the nerves 
of vision. 

3. 4, 6. The motores oculi (eye movers) are three paiis of nerves used to 
move the eyes. See illustration of eye, page 140. 




74 Home and Health. 

5. The tri-facial^ or fiftli pair of nerves, divides each into three branches, 
whence its name: the first, to the upper part of the face, eyes, and nose; 
the second, to the upper jaw and leeth; the third, to the lower jaw and the 
mouth, where it forms the nerve of taste. These nerves are affected in 
toothache and neuralgia. 

7. The/amZ, or seventh pair, are distributed over the face and give to it 
expression.* 

8. The auditory^ or eighth pair, go to the ears, and are the nerves of 
hearing. 

9. Tlie glos-so-pha-ryn-ge-al, or mnth pair, are distributed over the mucous 
membrane of the pharynx, tonsils, etc. 

10. The 2^neu-nio-gas-tric, or tenth pair, preside over the larynx, lungs, 
liver, stomacli, and one branch extends to the heart. This is the only w rve 
which goes so far from the head. 

11. The accessory, or eleventh pair, rise from the spinal cord, run up to 
tlie medulla oblongata, and thence leave the skull at the opening with the 
ninth and tenth pairs. They regulate llie vocal movements of the larynx. 

12. The hy-po-glos'-sal, or twelfth pair, give motion to the tongue. 

From each half of the brain twelve nervaf cords go out through holes in 
the skull; from each half (vertical) of the spinal cord thirty-one nerva cords 
go out tlirough holes in the backbone. This cord is about half an inch 
thick, and about eighteen inches long in adults. 

Each half of the cord is divided longitudinally into three equal parts 
by the lines of attachment of two parallel series of delicate bundles of 
nervous filaments, the roots of tlie spinal nerves. The roots of the nerves 
which arise along that line which is nearer the posterior surface of the cord 
are called posterior roots ; those which arise along the other line are the 
anterior roots. A certain number of anterior and posterior roots on the 
same level on each side of the cord converge and form anterior and posterior 
bundles, then the two bundles, anterior and posterior, coalesce into the 
trunk of a spinal nerve, but before doing so the posterior bundle presents 
an enlargement — the ganglion of the posterior root. \ 

The trunks of the spinal nerves pass out of the spinal canal by the inter- 
vertebral foramina, or apertures between the vertebra), and then divide and 

* " If it Is palsied, on one side there will be a blank, while the other side will lauffh 
or cry, and the whole face wi'l look funny indeed. There were some cruel people in 
the Middle Ages who used to cut the nerve and deform children's faces in this way for 
the purpose of making money at shows. "When this nerva was wrongly supposed to be 
the seat of neuralgia or tic doloureux, it was often cut by surgeons. In this way the 
patient suffered many dangers without relief from pain.'"~-3/r(porf/)cr. 

+ English authors give only nine groups of cranial nerves, but Continental and 
American anatomists classify as they are here given. % Dr. Huxley. 



Nervous and Arterial System. Y5 

subdivide their ultimate ramifications going to the muscles, and to the 
skill. 

If the trunk of a spinal nerve be irritited in any way, as by pinching, 
cutting, galvanizing, or applying a hot body, two things happen : in the first 
place, all the muscles to which filaments of this nerve are distributed con- 
tract ; in the second, acute pain is felt, and the pain is referred to that 
part of the skin to which fibers of the nerve are distributed. In other 
words, the effect of irritating the trunk of a nerve is the same as that of 
irritating its component fibers at their terminations. 



THE BLOOD-ITS RELATION TO LIFE AND HEALTH 

Cfhange and Waste. — A great change is constantly taking place in every 
part of the human system. The old particles of the body are incessantly 
passing off in the respiration, perspiration, and excretion. Careful and intelli- 
gent observation leads to the belief that the entire body is changed once in 
seven years. Many parts change much oftener — those which are constantly 
active many times in a single year. The same body, in its form, appearance, 
and functions, may remain, but every particle of flesh, bones, skin, etc., is re- 
moved and the place occupied by a new particle. So that in all its material 
element the body is renewed in seven years. 

Supply from the Blood. — The chief supply in repairing this great waste 
is furnished by the blood. The blood is "liquid flesh." It is a repository of 
the ingredients of nutrition. Its materials are so varied and so refined that 
they penetrate the minutest parts of the physical system, and become assim- 
ilated to muscle, bone, skin, hair, cartilage, and nerve. 

Quantity of the Blood.* — The entire quantity of blood in the vessels is 
about one eighth part, by weight, of the whole body ; so that in a man weigh- 
ing 140 pounds the quantity of blood is nearly 18 pounds. The quantity of 
blood, however, as well as its composition, varies somewhat at different times. 
Soon after digestion it is considerably increased ; for it has absorbed all the 
nutritious materials taken with the food, and these materials must necessa- 
rily pass through the blood in order to reach the tissues. After long absti- 
nence it is diminished in quantity to a corresponding degree. For the same 
reason, its composition varies to a certain extent, since its different ingredi- 
ents will diminish or increase according as they have been discharged or 
absorbed in greater or less abundance. 

♦This and most of the subsequent paragraphs on the physiology of the blood are coo* 
lensed from excellent works of Prof. Dalton on the subject. 



76 Home and Health. 

Effects Produced by Loss of Blood. — Only a small proportion of the 
blood in the body can be lost without causing a serious effect upon the sys- 
tem. Generally speaking, the loss of one pound of blood causes faintness, 
ai 1 that of a pound and a half or two pounds is followed by complete uncon- 
sciousness. If the bleeding be then stopped, the patient usually recovers, 
but if a still larger quantity of blood be lost, recovery becomes impossible. 

" Transfusion of Blood." — In cases of great exhaustion, caused by exces- 
sive bleeding, strength has sometimes been restored by injecting into the 
blood-vessel healthy blood from some other person. This is called the " Trans- 
fusion of Blood." Instance : If blood be drawn from an animal until it is 
seemingly dead, and then that from another animal be injected into its veins, 
its vitality will be restored.* This practice became quite common in the sev- 
enteenth century. The operation was even tried on human beings, and the 
most extravagant hopes were entertained. A maniac was restored to reason 
by the blood of a calf. But many fatal accidents occurring, it soon fell into 
disuse. It has, however, been successfully practiced in New York in a fe^ 
cases within the last three years, and is a method still in repute for saving 
life. 

The Composition of Blood. — The blood is a thick opaque fluid of a deep 
red hue, so peculiar that it may usually be distinguished by its color alone. 
It contains many different ingredients, of which the most important are, first, 
water; second, mineral siibslances ; and third, albuminous matters. 

The Water of the Blood. — This is what gives the blood its fluidity. 
For if the water be driven off by evaporation the other ingredients remain 
behind in the form of a dry mass, which would be entirely useless for the 
purpose of nutrition. But in its natural condition the water of the blood 
unites all its other ingredients into a uniform liquid, which easily moves 
through the blood-vessels, and dissolves the new substances, which are ab- 
sorbed from without. Taken altogether, the water forms rather more than 
three fourths of the whole mass of the blood. 

The Mineral Ingredients. — These are present in much smaller propor- 
tion. The most abundant is common salt, which we know is taken with the 
food, and is a necessary ingredient of all the tissues. It forms, however, only 
about four parts in a thousand of the whole blood. The combinations of 
lime, which the bones and teeth require for their nourishment, are found in 
still scalier quantity dissolved in the animal fluids of the blood. Other 
mineral substances of various kinds are also present in their requisite 
quantity. 

* Brown -S^quard tells of a curious instance in which the blood of a living dog was trans 
ferred into one just dead. The animal rose on its feet and wagged its tail, but died a second 
time in tw 'Ive and one ha| * hours afterward. — Steele's Fourteen Weeks in Physiology. 



The Blood. 77 

Albumen in the Blood. — But the most remarkable of all the ingredients 
of the blood are its albuminous matters. It is these substances which give 
to it its thick and animal consistency, and which also act the most important 
part in the nutrition of the body. They are of two different kinds, which 
are naturally mingled together in the blood in a liquid form. 

Albumen. — The first of these is the albumen. We can obtain a tolerably 
correct idea of the character of albumen from the fresh white of egg, which 
has received a similar name. This is not exactly the same thing with the al- 
bumen of the blood, but still the two resemble each other very closely. They 
may both be coagulated by boiling, when they become solid, white, and 
opaque. The principal difference between tliem is, that the fresh white of 
egg is partly gelatinous in consistency, while the albumen of the blood is 
perfectly fluid, and may readily be made to flow through the veins, cr to run 
from one glass vessel into another. 

Quantity of Albumen. — The albumen is about forty parts in a thousand, 
or one twenty-fifth of the whole blood. It represents, in great part, the con- 
centrated nourishment derived from the food, for it is probably into this sub- 
stance that most of the albuminose is converted, after being absorbed from 
the intestine in the digestive process. It is the material out of which the 
tissues of the body are afterward formed. 

Fibrine. — The other animal matter in the blood is the fihrine. Although 
this is in very small quantity, namely, only two parts in a thousand, it is an 
exceedingly curious and important ingredient. For it possesses a property 
which does not belong to any other animal substance, namely, the property 
of " spontaneous coagulation" — that is, it will coagulate by itself without be- 
ing boiled, or brought into contact with an acid, or treated by any other chem- 
ical substance. We shall see hereafter what an important character this 
property gives to the blood. 

Other Substances. — But these substances are only the liquid portions of 
the blood. They are all dissolved in each other, and form a perfectly trans- 
parent and almost colorless fluid. Besides them there are a multitude of little 
rounded bodies contained in the liquid mixture, which make the blood opaque, 
and give to it its red color. They are so abundant that they are crowded to- 
gether by thousands in each drop of blood, and so minute that they are only 
visible by the aid of the microscope. They are called the blood-globules. 

Described Globules of the Blood. — If we examine a drop of blood un- 
der the microscope, we see the blood-globules floating in profusion in the 
fluid parts. Each one is a delicate circular plate or disk, somewhat like a 
piece of money in form, only with the edges rounded, and rather thicker than 
the central part. In human blood they are about ginrff ^f an inch in diam- 



Y8 Home aijd Health. 

eter, when measured across their flat surfaces, and about ewff ^^ *^ ^^^h in 
thickness. 

Remarkable Characteristics of the Globules. — The blood-globules are 
exceedingly soft and flexible in consistency. In fact, they are nearly fluid, 
like drops of very thick oil or honey, only they do not dissolve m the other 
parts of the blood, but retain their own form and substance. Consequently, 
when moving about in the fluid, as they often do under the microscope, fol- 
lowing accidental currents in the blood, passing through narrow channels, and 
-.urning corners among the other globules, they may be seen to twist about, 
ind bend over, and elongate in various ways, and then resume their natural 
Sgure as before. This peculiar semi-fluid and flexible consistency is one of 
Iheir greatest peculiarities. 

Color of Blood-Globules. — When seen by transmitted light and in thin 
layers, they are of a very pale amber color, and nearly transparent. Never- 
theless, they contain all the red color of the blood, and when seen heaped 
together in layers only five or six deep, they show distinctly the ruddy color 
which belongs to them. Besides, if they are separated by filtration or any 
other means, or if they are not formed in their natural quantity, the blood 
becomes paler exactly in proportion as its globules are deficient. 

Opacity of the Blood. — They also communicate to the blood its opacity. 
Although each globule by itself is transparent, yet, when they are crowded 
together, and mingled with the fluid parts of the blood, the whole becomes 
opaque, and apparently impenetrable to light. This is because the globules 
of the blood and its fluid parts are of a different nature and composition. 
The same thing will happen when oil is emulsioned by a watery alkaline 
solution. The oil is transparent by itself, and the alkaline liquid is transpa- 
rent by itself ; but if you mix the two together the whole becomes white and 
opaque like milk. So the globules of the blood and its fluid parts, mingled 
together, produce a thick red and opaque liquid. 

The red globules are the vivifying elements of the blood.. They communi- 
cate to it its animating and stimulating properties, by whicc all the organs 
are maintained in a condition of vital activity. 

White Globules. — Besides the red globules, the blood contains ather little 
bodies of a different form and aspect. These are the white globules. They 
are very much less numerous than the red, as there are not more than three 
or four of them for every thousand of the others. They are of a little larger 
size, measuring about ^xiTo ^^ ^^ inch, in diameter, of a rounded form and a 
finely granulated texture. They are usually concealed for the most part, in 
the greater abundance of the red globules. 

When the ingredients of the blood are examined by analysis, they are found 



The Blood. Y9 

to be mingled together in the following proportions — the proportion being 
that in one thousand parts : — 

Water 795 

Globules 150 

Albumen 40 

Fibrine 2 

Other animal matters 5 

Mineral substances 8 

1,000 

Coagulation of the Blood. — Such are the properties and constitution of 
the blood while circulating in the interior of the body. But if it be with- 
drawn from the vessels a very remarkable change takes place, which alters 
its whole appearance. This change is its coagulation. 

Time for Coagulation. — When a patient is bled from the arm or is acci- 
dentally wounded, the blood runs from the opened vein in a perfect liquid 
stream ; but soon afterward it begins to appear thicker than before, and will 
not run in drops, nor moisten the fingers so easily when touched. When 
this alteration has once commenced it goes on rapidly increasing, the blood 
growing thicker and thicker, until it finally sets into a uniform, firm, elastic, 
jelly-like mass. It is then said to be " coagulated " or " clotted." This 
change is usually complete in about twenty minutes after the blood has been 
withdrawn from the veins. 

Cause of Coag^ation. — This coagulation of the blood is entirely depend- 
ent upon its fibrine. This substance alone has the property of coaguiating 
spontaneously. None of the other ingredients can solidify in this way, and if 
the fibrine be taken out, the blood loses altogether its power of coagulation. 
The fibrine, though in a very small quantity as compared with the other sub- 
stances in the blood, is diffused uniformly throughout the whole ; and when 
it coagulates, therefore, on being withdrawn from the vessels, it entangles all 
the other ingredients with it, and holds them imprisoned in its own substance. 
The water of the blood, accordingly, the albumen, the globules, etc., are all 
mechanically retained by the coagulating fibrine. 

Serum of the Blood. — But not long afterward a partial separation takes 
place between them. The fibrine solidifies still more ; and, by contracting 
upon itself, squeezes out the liquid portions of the blood from between its 
meshes. Drops of a clear, amber-colored fluid begin to exude from its sur- 
face, and these drops, growing larger and larger, run together into little pools, 
which still increase in size until the entire surface is covered with the trans- 
parent liquid. The remainder grows at the same time smaller and firmer, un 



so Home a^t> Health. 

til at last the whole is permanently separated into two parts, a solid and a 
liquid. The solid part is called the dot ; the liquid part is the serum. 

A " Olot " of Blood. — If we examine a cupful of blood, at the end of 
twelve hours after it has been drawn from the veins, we will find that it is 
no longer a uniform mass, but a solid clot floating in the transparent serum. 
The clot at this time is still firm, red, and opaque, since it contains all the 
globules of the blood as well as the fibrine. For these globules cannot 
escape from the clot, owing to their form and size, and are therefore retained 
by the meshes of the coagula led fibrine. The serum, on the other hand, is 
transparent, and nearly colorless. It contains all the albumen, the water, 
and other substances dissolved in them. 

Importance of Coagulation.. — The coagulation of the blood is a prop- 
erty of the greatest importance ; for it is the only thing which prevents our 
bleeding to death after the slightest incision or injury to the blood-vessels. 
Whenever these vessels are opened by an accidental cut in the skin or in the 
muscles, the blood at first flows with great freedom, according to the 
size of the wound. But if we press firmly upon the injured part with a 
bandage or with the fingers, and then, after a short time, remove the 
pressure, we find that the bleeding has stopped altogether. This is because 
the thin layer of blood between the edges of the wounded vessels has coag- 
ulated and blocked up the opening. No matter how thin this layer may be, 
it still coagulates ; for every particle of the blood, however small, contains 
its due proportion of fibrine, and, consequently, solidifies at the proper time. 
The clot thus formed adheres to the edges of the wounded parts, and so acts 
as a continuous bandage or plug, until the tissues have again grown together 
and become permanently united. 

Coagulation Stops Bleeding. — It is in this way that the bleeding from 
all ordinary wounds is usually arrested by nature. No matter how freely the 
blood may flow at first, if you keep the parts steadily compressed for twenty 
minutes or half an hour, the fibrine will then be coagulated and the bleeding 
will stop. But when the wound is very deep, or when any of the principal 
arteries have been severed, this means will not succeed ; for the blood comes 
with so much force from those larger vessels that it cannot be kept back by 
ordinary pressure, and no time is allowed for its permanent coagulation. 
Then we must call for the assistance of the surgeon, who is often compelled 
to search for the blood vessels in the deeper parts of the wound, and to tie 
up their open mouths with a fine cord or ligature. Why this operation is 
successful requires a further explanation. 

Coagulation in the Interior of the Body. — It is a curious fact that the 
blood '»7ill coagulate, not only when it is discharged externally, but also even 
\u the interior of the body, whenever it is withdrawn from the ordinary 



The Blood. 81 

tourse of the circulation. Thus, if we receive a bruise, and the little vessels 
beneath the skin are torn, the blood which flows from them coagulates in 
the neighborhood of the injury. Any internal bleeding produces, after a 
time, a clot in the corresponding situation where the blood is effused. After 
death, also, coagulation takes place in the cavities of the heart, and in the 
great veins near it ; and whenever any part of the body is so injured as to 
stop its circulation, the blood necessarily coagulates in its vessels. 

The Ligature and Coagulation. — When the surgeon places the ligature 
u])on a wounded vessel, he stops the circulation through it. The blood is 
imprisoned in the neighborhood of the ligature, and soon afterward coagu- 
lates and blocks up the cavity of the vessel with its solidified fibrine. After 
a time the ligature separates and is thrown off, and the wounded parts unite 
by the healing of the tissues. 

Coagulation Spontaneous. — The coagulation of the blood is a proper- 
ty, therefore, that belongs to the fibrine, and it is spontaneous. As soon 
as the fibrine is formed it possesses this property, by which it is distin- 
guished from all other substances. It is not manifested immediately, for it 
requires a certain time for its completion ; but owing to the very nature of 
the fibrine, wherever it may be, within a short period after it is shut off from 
the circulation it exhibits this peculiar character, and coagulates inevitably. 

Why Coagulation does not Stop the Circulation. — Why, then, does it 
not coagulate in the vessels, and thus stop the circulation of the blood ? To 
understand this, we must remember that the history of all the animal sub- 
stances in the living body is one of incessant change. None of them re- 
main the same, but all undergo successive transformations. The albuminose 
formed in digestion is no sooner taken up by the blood-vessels then it is 
converted into albumen. The oily matters absorbed with the chyle, and the 
sugar produced in the liver, are also rapidly decomposed, as we have seen, 
and disappear in the circulation. What is destroyed in this way for the 
purposes of nutrition is constantly replaced by a fresh quantity formed in 
the same organs. 

This is also true of the fibrine. That which is circulating in the blood- 
vessels to-day is not the same fibrine which was there yesterday, but a new 
supply, freshly produced in the process of daily nutrition. It is estimated 
by physiologists that all the fibrine which exists in the blood is destroyed 
and reproduced at least three times over in the course of a single day. What 
the new substances are which are formed by its decomposition is still un- 
known, for we cannot yet follow out all the details of these changes which 
take place so rapidly in the living body. But there is every reason to believe 
that the renovation of the fibrine in the blood takes place as constantly and 
rapidly as that of its other i^xgredients. 

a 



82 Home and Health. 

The blood, therefore, does not coagulate while the circulation is going on, 
because its fibrine is being incessantly altered and converted into new sub- 
stances. It has been found that in certain of the internal organs, especially 
in the liver and kidneys, the fibrine disappears, and that little or none of it 
is contained in the blood returning from them. When we come to learn 
with what rapidity the circulation is carried on, we shall easily understand 
how coagulation may thus be prevented. But if the blood be withdrawn 
from the circulation altogether, or confined in any part by a ligature, then its 
fibrine can no longer go through with the natural changes of its decompo- 
sition, and it accordingly coagulates, as we have above described. 

Two Different Kinds of Blood in the Body. — Finally, there is a most 
remarkable difference in the appearance of the blood in different parts of 
the body. In one half of the circulation, that is, in all those vessels which 
are called " arteries," it is of a brilliant scarlet hue ; while in the " veins " 
it is of a deep bluish-purple, almost black color. These two kinds of blood 
follow each other in the circulation, changing alternately from one color to 
the other ; so that, although there is always red blood in the arteries, and 
always blue blood in the veins, yet the same blood is alternately scarlet and 
purple, as it passes from one set of vessels to another. The dark, impure 
blood of the veins is purified in the lungs by the air. 



FOOD AND HEALTH. 

Food Makes Blood for the Body. — We have already noted the rela- 
tion of the blood to life and healtli. The relation of water to health has 
also been shown. Blood is derived chiefly from the food we eat. The nu- 
tritious part of the food after being taken into the stomach is converted by 
the process of digestion into blood, and then into living, healthful tissues. 

Amount of Food Daily Needed. — To replace the daily outgo we need 
about two pounds of food and three pounds of drink. With the eight hun- 
dred pounds of oxygen taken from the air a man uses in a year about a ton 
and a half of material. Our bodies are but molds in which a certain quan- 
tity of matter receives a definite form. They may be likened to an eddy in 
a river which retains its shape for a while, yet every instant each particle of 
water is changing. Our sti ength comes from the food we eat. The food 
contains within it a latent force, which it gives up when it is decomposed. 
Putting food into our bodies is like placing a spring within a watch; every 
motion of the body is only a new direction given to this spring-force, as every 
movement of the hand on a dial is but the manipulation of the power of the 
bent spring in the watch. We use the pent-up energies of meat, bread, and 



Food and Health, 83 

vegetables which arc phiccd at our service, and transfer them to a higher 
sphere of action. 

Kinds of Food Needed. — In order, therefore, to produce heat and 
force, w<f require something that is combustible, something with which oxy- 
gen can jombine. Three kinds of food are needed. 

1. Nitrogen. That which contains a considerable proportion of nitrogen. 
This is a prominent constituent of the tissues of the body, and is necessary 
to their growth and repair. The most common forms are whites of eggs, 
which are nearly pure albumen, caseine, the chief constituent of cheese, lean 
meat, and gluten, the viscid substance that gives tenacity to dough. Bodies 
that have much nitrogen I'cadily oxidize. 

2. Carbon. The next is carbonaceous food, or that which contains much 
carbon. This consists of two kinds : first, the sugars. These contain hy- 
drogen and oxygen in proportion to form water, and about the same amount 
of carbon. They may, therefore, be considered as water with carbon dif- 
fused through them. In digestion, starch and gum are changed into sugar. 
All these are burned to produce heat. The second are the fats, which are 
like sugars in composition, but contain less oxygen, and not in the proportion 
to form water. They combine with more oxygen in burning, and thus give 
off more heat. 

3. Mineral Matters atid Water Needed in Food. Food should contain 
mineral matter in addition to water — such as iron, sulphur, magnesia, 
phosphorus, salt, and potash. About three pints of water are needed daily 
to dissolve the food, and carry it through the circulation, to float off waste 
matter, to lubricate the tissues, and by evaporation cool the system. A man 
weighing one hundred and fifty-four pounds contains one hundred pounds of 
water ; enough if collected in a body to drown him. Iron goes to the blood 
disks ; lime combines with phosphorus and carbonic acid to give solidity to 
the bones and teeth ; phosphorus is essential to the activity of the brain ; 
salt is necessary to the secretions of some of the digestive fluids, and also to 
aid in working off the waste products. 

Process of Digestion. — Nature has provided an entire laboratory for the 
process of digestion. The food is chewed, mixed with the saliva of the 
mouth, and swallowed. It is then acted upon by the gastric juice in the 
stomach, pafsed into the intestines, where it receives the bile, pancreatic 
juice, and other liquids Avhich completely dissolve it, absorbing the nourish- 
ing parts in the stomach and intestines ; the remainder goes to the blood- 
vessels, and enters the general circulation. 

Nutritious and Healthy Articles of Food. — There are some articles 
of food of the greatest nutritive value. We mention the following : Beef, mut- 
tor., fish, milk, cheese, eggs, bread, potatoes, corn, oat-meal, rice, ripe fruits, 



84 Home aitd Healtr. 

tomatoes, peas, beans, etc. »11 of which articles of food are more or less 
nutritive. 

Beef and mutton possess ,he greatest nutritive value of any of the meats. 

Lamb is less strengthening, but more delicate. Like the young of all ani- 
£nals, it should be thoroughly cooked, and at a high temperature, to properly 
develop its flavor. 

Pork has much carbon, and hence is very heating ; the delicate and sed- 
entary have no need of such food. It sometimes contains a parasite called 
trichina, which may be transferred to the human system, and produce disease 
and death. If eaten it should be cooked thoroughly. 

Fish is rich in phosphorus, and is commended as food for the brain. It 
loses its mineral constituents and juices when salted. 

Oysters are highly nutritious, and are more easily assimilated when eaten 
raw. 

Milk is a model food, containing albumen, starch, fat, and mineral matter. 

Cheese is very nourishing, one pound being equal in value to two of meat. 

Bffffs are most easily digested when cooked " aoft." 

A Suggestive Conversation. — Many comparatively healthy persons eat 
pork ; but such persons usually toil at out-of-door work, and because of the 
great strength of their physical constitutions they can endure even the use of 
pork. The hog is the filthiest of animals ; and experiments show that when 
the flesh is made the only or chief article of food for a few days the phys- 
ical system begins rapidly to suffer. Scrofulous persons suffer the soonest 
and the most largely, and there is good reason to believe that much of the 
scrofula prevalent in this country is caused by pork-eating, either by the 
patient or by his parents. 

"But it is often difficult to get other meat than pork." 

" My answer is. Eat pork if you must^ in other words, from necessity ; never 
from choice.''^ 

" How should pork be cooked ? " 

*' I will answer in the language of a veteran physician : ' CooTc it done.'' 
Other meats may be eaten rare if desired ; pork must be cooked thoroughly. 
My advice to you is. Unless you are an out-of-door la'.>/rer, eat pork rarely 
and sparingly, and see to it that the cook puts it over a hot fire, and keeps it 
there until it is ' twice done.' " 

Onions. — Few people dream of the many virtues of onions. Lung and 
liver complaints are certainly benefited, often cured, by a free consumption 
of onions, either cooked or raw. Colds yield to them like magic. Don't be 
afraid of them. Taken at night all offense will be wanting by morning, and 
the good effects will amply compensate for the trifling annoyance. Taken 
regularly, they greatly promote the health of the lungs and the digestive 



Food and HeaZth. 85 

organs. An extract made by boiling down the juice of onions to a syrup 
and taken as a medicine, answers the purpose very well, but fried, roasted, 
or boiled onions are better. Onions are a very cheap medicine, within every 
body's reach, and they are not by any means as " bad to take " as the costly 
nostrums a neglect of their use may necessitate. 

Tomatoes. — The tomato is one of the most healthful as well as the most 
relished of all vegetables. Its qualities do not depend on the mode of prep- 
aration for the table ; it may be eaten thrice a day, cold or hot, cooked or 
raw, alone or with salt or pepper or vinegar, or altogether, to a like advan- 
tage, and to the utmost that can be taken with an appetite. Its excellence 
arises from its slight acidity, and the seeds which it contains. The acidity 
refreshes and tones up the system in the same manner as fruit, while the 
seeds act as mechanical, gentle irritants to the inner coating of the bowels, 
causing them to throw out a large amount of fluid matter, and thus keeping 
them free. The tomato is also very nutritious.* 

Healthful Bread. — The nutritive value of all food depends much upon the 
amount of gluten which it contains, as this is the substance which goes to 
form muscle. The proportions of gluten in whole grain, bran, and fine flour 
are as follows : Whole grain, twelve per cent. ; fine flour, ten per cent. By 
sifting out the bran we therefore render the flour less nutritious as well as 
less wholesome. As bran constitutes from one eighth to one fourth of the 
whole weight of wheat, on the average one sixth, there is a great waste of 
muscle-forming material by bolting. 

G^'aham Bread when made well is especially healthy for dyspeptics. 

Unground Wheat. — A very healthful and relishable dish for breakfast, 
dinner, or supper, can be made from unground wheat, boiled. The freshest 
and cleanest wheat, with the plumpest kernels, should be selected. The 
white and the amber-colored wheats cook the most readily, and they are also 
preferable on account of having a thinner skin. Time is saved in picking it 
over, to have it first run through a smut machine and then washed, though 
t he looking over is indispensable. Put it to boil with five or six parts water 
to one of wheat, by measure. Cover close, and after it begins to boil set 
it where it will barely simmer. Cook it four or five hours, or until the kernels 
mash readily between the thumb and finger. Hard wheat of any kind will 
require still more time, and some kinds may be cooked all day without soft- 
ening. When done it should be even full of water or juice, which thickens 

* The tomato season ends with the frost. If the vines are pulled up before frost comes, 
and are hung up in a well-ventilated cellar with the tomatoes hanging to them, the "ove- 
apple" will continue ripening until Christmas. The cellar should not be too dry nrtoo 
warm. The knowledge of this may be improved to great practical advantage for the '^ne- 
flt of many who are invalids, and who ar« foad of tb« tomato. 



86 Home and Health. 

and becomes gelatinous on cooking. Salt, and send to the table warm, tc 
eat with mea ;s and vegetables at dinner. It can also be eaten by itself, 
trimmed witK sugar or butter, or both, or syrup, or milk. It molds nicely, 
and may be »3rved cold at breakfast or supper, or it may be steamed up and 
served hot at breakfast. The long cooking it requires of course precludes 
its being served fresh at that meal. After it has once cooled, however, it 
cannot be made so soft and liquid as at first by any subsequent cooking. 
Like other starch, when it once sets, it loses its liquidity. 

A Very Nutritious Bread. — Valuable economy in the manufacture of 
nutritious bread is secured by the following process : Gluten to the amount 
of ten or twelve per cent, is extracted by boiling water from bran, and the 
flour is kneaded with this infusion, whereby from twenty to thirty per cent, 
more bread is obtained. The bread, of course, is not so white as that of 
first quality, but is much more nutritious. 

Fresh or Stale Bread, Which ? — Fresh bread and warm biscuits are 
less digestible and less nutritious than old bread. In Germany bakers are 
prohibited from selling bread until twenty-four hours after it is baked. Noth- 
ing is more common in Germany than to hear the buyers at bake-shops ask 
for "Alt gebackenes Brod." Is German robustness to be attributed to this 
fact? 

Oat Meal. * — Oat meal is a food of great strength and nutrition. It is 
especially serviceable as a brain-food. It contains phosphorous enough to 
keep a man doing an ordinary amount of brain-work in good health and 
vigor. All medical authorities unite in the opinion that, eaten with milk, it 
is a perfect food ; and, having all the requisites for the proper development of 
the system, it is a pre-eminently useful food for growing children and the 
young generally. Oat meal requii*es much cooking to effectually burst its 
starch-cells, but when it is well cooked it will thicken liquid much more than 
equal its weight in wheaten flour. The oats of this country are superior to 
those grown on the Continent and the southern parts of England, but cer- 
tainly inferior to the Scotch, where considerable pains is taken to cultivate 

* Til 3 two principal ways of cooking oatmeal are as porridge and cake, for which the 
following are good recipes : To three pints of boiling water add a level teaspoonful of salt 
and » pint of coarse meal, stirring while it is being slowly poured in ; continue stirring 
ur.til the meal is diffused through the water — about eight or ten minutes. Cover it closely 
then, and place it where it will simmer for an hour; avoid stirring during the whole of 
thAt time. Serve hot, with as little messing as possible, accompanied with milk, maple 
sjTup, or sugar and cream. To make oatmeal-cake, place in a bowl a quart of meal, add 
1 1 it as much cold water as will form it into a soft, light dough, cover it with a cloth 15 
minutes to allow it to swell, then dust the paste-board with meal, turn out the dough and 
give it a vigorous kneading. Cover it with the cloth a few minutes, and proceed ac once to 
roll it out to the eighth of an inch in thickness ; cut in five pieces, and partly cook them oa 
A griddle then finish them by toasting them in front of the fire. 



Food and Healtn.. 87 

them , and it is needless to point out that the Scotch are an example of 
a strong and robust nation, which result is justly set down as being derived 
from the plentiful use of oat meal. Dr. Guthrie has asserted that hi? 
countrymen have the largest heads of any nation in the world — not even 
the English have such large heads — which he attributes to the universal use 
of oat meal. 

Professor Forbes, of Edinburgh, during some twenty years, measured the 
breadth and height, and also tested the strength of both the arms and loins, 
of the students in the University — a very numerous class, and of various 
nationalities, drawn to Edinburgh by the fame of his teaching. He found 
that in height, breadth of chest and shoulders, and strength of arms and 
loins, the Belgians were at the bottom of the list ; a little above them, the 
French ; very much higher, the English ; and highest of all, the Scotch and 
Scotch Irish, from Ulster, who, like the natives of Scotland, are fed in their 
early years with at least one meal a day of good oat meal porridge. 

Poisonous Properties of Moldy Bread. — A recent case of fatal poi- 
soning has been directly traced to the use of moldy bread for pudding. 
The pudding was eaten by the cook, the proprietor of the eating-house in 
which it was prepared, several children of the proprietor, and a number of 
8tranger3. All were made alarmingly sick, and two, a child and an adult, 
died. The doctors attending the case ascribed the effects to poisonous fungi 
in the mold. 

Healthfulness of Fruits. — The liberal use of various fruits as food is 
conducive to good health. Fruit is not a solid and lasting element like beef 
and bread, and does not give strength to any great extent. But fruits con- 
tain those acids which refresh and give tone to the system during the season 
when it is most needed. They should never be eaten unless thoroughly ripe 
or cooked. Stale fruits or those which have been plucked some time are 
unhealthy in the extreme. The proper time to eat fruit is in the morning 
and early afternoon. At night it is "leaden," according to the Spanish, who 
call fi uit " golden in the morning and silver at noon." 

Fruit Saves Doctors' Bills. — An experienced physician in the West 
writes as follows: "My bills are cut down in families in proportion as they 
eat fresh fruit. Strawberries, currants and tomatoes are better medicine 
than calomel or jalap, and ' rather better to take.' Apples freely eaten do 
the work of vermifuge or lozenges. Every fruit or berry has its mission to 
man hidden away within it. Therefore, set out a strawberry bed, if you 
haven't one. If there is no other place, border your garden walks, and 
with a sharp hoe and straight line keep the edges cut clearly, leaving a rich 
mat of vines two feet wide. Plant currants. A fresh cutting will grow if 
you but stick it in the ground. Border the fence with raspberries. Walk 



88 Home and Health. 

around your place during the early spring days, and make a mental inventor; 
of every spot where you can stick in a fruit tree or a berry bush. Plant 
something." 

Danger )f Eating Fruit to Excess. — In the use of fruit excess shou.d 
be avoided. While advantageous when consumed in moderate quantity, 
fruits prove injurious if eaten in excess. Of a highly succulent nature, and 
containing free acids and principles prone to undergo fermentation and 
change, they are, when eaten out of due proportion to other food, apt to act 
as a disturbing element, and excite derangement of the stomach and bowels. 
This is particularly likely to occur if eaten either in the unripe or overripe 
state: in the former case, from their acidity and unfitness for digestion; in 
the latter, from their strong tendency to ferment and decompose within the 
alimentary canal. The prevalence of etomach and bowel disorders, no- 
ticeable during the height of the fruit season, afiPords proof of the incon- 
veniences to which the too free use of fruit, especially if unripe, may give 
rise. 

Special Danger in Summer Vacation. — There is special danger to per- 
sons who leave the large towns for a vacation in the country during the early 
fruit season. The children often indulge in eating unripe fruit, and in this 
way suffer so much harm as to lessen if not to neutralize the benefits of a 
summer vacation. Will mothers read this, and enter upon a line of greater 
watch and care ? 

Are Nuts Healthful ? — Most kinds of nuts are only suited to persons of 
strong powers of digestion, while some are positively baneful to all. A 
good rule is to eat them sparingly, and only those found by personal ex- 
perience to be suitable. 

Salt with Nuts. — Here is a suggestive record by a physician : " While 
enjoying a visit from an Englishman, hickory nuts were served in the even- 
ing, when my English friend called for salt, stating that he knew of a case of 
a woman eating heartily of nuts in the evening who was taken violently ill. 
The celebrated Dr. Abernethy was sent for, but it was after he had become 
too fond of his cups, and he was not in a condition to go. He murmured 
' Salt ! salt !' of which no notice was taken. He went to the place next morn- 
ing, and found the patient a corpse. He said had they given her salt, it 
would have relieved her ; and that if he was allowed to make an examina- 
tion he would convince them. When the stomach was opened, the nuts 
were found in a mass. He sprinkled salt on it, and it immediately dissolved. 
I have known of a sudden death myself, which appears to have been the 
effect of the same." 



Hints Ahoict Healthful Eating. 89 

HINTS ABOUT HEALTHFUL EATING. 

A Good Appetite Healthful. — Many persons regard a hearty desire for 
food as something unrefined, indelicate, and to be constantly discouraged. 
This is a great mistake. The people who strive to check a wholesome and 
natural appetite regard dinner merely as a " feed," not an agreeable social 
custom, and as the domestic event of the day. A good appetite is a good 
thing, and is just as necessary to the health of the man who works only with 
his brain as it is to the day-laborer who earns his bread by the sweat of his 
brow, "breaking stones or plowing." The stomach and the brain are 
brethren, the former being the elder, and having prior right to care. Let 
that be well provided for, and it will sustain its brother. 

Appetite not an Infallible Guide. — The opinion prevailing among many 
that if people like a thing they may eat it without harm is a great mistake. 
If sweetened drinks, candies or things containing poison be given to children, 
they ^^ill eat them readily without detecting the danger. Brute animals are 
guided in the selection of food by their instinct, and their wonderfully de- 
veloped organs of smell. Human individuals do not show such instinct, but 
are, or should be, governed by their superior intelligence. 

Evil of Rapid Eating. — Eat slowly, thoroughly masticating your food. 
Rapid eating is one of our national evils, and is the chief cause of dyspepsia. 
The saliva does not flow too rapidly to mix with the food to promote digestion, 
and the coarse pieces swallowed resist the action of the digestive fluid. The 
food washed down with drinks which dilute the gastric juice and hinder its 
work will not supply the place of the saliva. Failing to get the taste of the 
food by rapid mastication, we think it insipid, and hence use condiments 
which over-stimulate the digestive organs. In these ways the system is over- 
worked, and, the tone of the stomach being affected, a foundation is laid for 
dyspepsia.* 

Ho'vtr to Regulate the Quantity of Food. — If the food be swallowed 
no faster than the gastric fluid is prepared to be mixed with it, hunger or the 
desire for food will cease when just enough has been taken ; but if the food 
is crowded down rapidly, after the manner of thousands of American eaters, 
the appetite will continue until more than enough is eaten, and often until 
two or three times too much is eaten. Remember that the appetite will only 
ctase with the secretion and flow of the gastric fluid ; hence we should eat 
ilowly, or we shall eat too much. The slow eater should stop with the cesaa- 

* " In this country rapid eating is a prevailing: evil. Every year its slain are counted by 
thousands. Not long since a friend wrote me inquiring why it is that there are so many 
more dyspeptics in America than in other populous countries? 'Because,' I responded, 
'there are nir>re rapid eaters.' " — Hi»NEy Luson, M. D 



90 Home and Health. 

tion of his appetite ; the rapid eater before. Rapid eating frequently begets 
irritabiUty, dyspepsia, or disease of the stomach. 

fjating too Much. — Eating too fast generally involves eating too much- 
more than is needed fof the support and nutrition of the body — and the rea- 
son for this is, that the organs of taste, which are our guide in this matter, 
are not allowed sufficient voice ; they are not allowed time to take cogm'zance 
of the presence of food ere it is pushed past them into the recesses of the 
stomach. They do not, therefore, have opportunity to represent the real need 
of the system, and hence allow the crowding of the stomach. " I hold," 
wrote Dr. Jackson, " that thirty minutes should be spent at each meal, and 
spent, too, in chewing the food a good portion of the time, and not in contin- 
ued putting in and swallowing, but in pleasant chat and laugh, instead of the 
continuance of the intense nervous pressure of the office or library. If you 
arrange to spend thirty minutes in this way at your meals, you may rest as- 
sured you will not eat too much, and what you do eat will be in the best con- 
Jition for appropriation to the needs of your system." 

Food should be Thoroughly Chewed. — There is one simple rule, the 
observance of which will go a great way toward securing the full benefit oi 
what we eat, and so will be conducive to good health; it is, that all food 
should be thoroughly chewed before being swallowed. The effects, both me- 
chanical and chemical, of thorough mastication, are the preUminary condi- 
tions for healthy digestion and nutrition. Aside from the grinding, the 
service which the saliva is capable of performing, if we give it time, is simi- 
lar to, if not identical with, that of the juice of the stomach. And in a 
general way, it may be said that the more nearly the food is reduced to a fine 
pulp in the mouth, the less remains for the rest of the digestive apparatus to 
do, the more completely their task is performed, and the more perfect is th-e 
preparation of the food for its purpose — the formation of blood and the nu- 
trition of the whole body. 

Hint about " Small Mouthfuls." — Our children will receive a great serv- 
ice from us, if we require them early to form the habit of eating in small 
mouthfuls and chewing their food well. The same rule holds good for every 
age, and should be especially regarded in advancing years, when the teeth 
become imperfect and mastication less effective. Adherejice to this simple 
[ule will not only be of great benefit to health, and largely contribute to pre- 
vent indigestion and dyspepsia, but will increase the pleasures of the table, 
and retain the natural strength of the digestive organs, which exert so wide 
an influence upon bo*h bodily and mental comfort. 

How Much Shall We Eat ? — Great eaters never Uve long ; spare eatera 
never accomplish much. The best rule is. Eat moderately. Never eat so much 
as to feel uncomfortable. If more food is taken than sufficient for the wants 



Hints About Healthful Eating. IM 

of the system, it remains undigested, and becomes a source of irritation and 
oppressiDn. The quantity of the food required varies with the age and hab- 
its of a person. The diet of a child should be largely vegetable and abun- 
dant. A sedentary occupation requires less food than an active, out-door 
life. The greatest workers should be the greatest eaters, as a posrerful en- 
gine needs a corresponding furnace. Cheerfulness is essential to digestion. 
A good laugh is the best of sauce. Care and grief are the bitterest foes of 
digestion. A bright face and a light heart are friends to a long life, anvl 
nowhere do they serve better than at the table. God designed that we should 
enjoy eating, and that, having stopped before satiety was reached, we should 
have the satisfaction always attendant on a good work well done. To eat 
until one can eat no longer is gluttony, and should never be indulged. One has 
said that as many lives have been destroyed by gluttony as by drunkenness. 

Loss of Appetite, and How to Recover it. — The appetite is often 
lost through excessive use of stimulants, food taken too hot, sedentary occu- 
pation, liver disorder, and want of change of air. To ascertain and remove 
the cause is the first duty. Exercise, change of air, and diet will generally 
prove sufficient to recover the appetite. Children, if they have plenty of out- 
door exercise, are regular in their habits, and eat only plain, nourishing food, will 
seldom, if ever, complain of a lack of appetite. See, also, chapter on exercise. 

Rest Before and After Sating. — A season of rest after dinner pays well, 
but it is not more important than the rest before eating, if one is very weary. 
This rule is of the utmost importance to business men, or pei'sons engaged in 
brain labor, and its violation is one of the chief causes of dyspepsia. The 
length of time required to complete digestion varies according to various cir- 
cumstances, such as the healthy condition of the stomach, the kind and quan- 
tity of food taken, exercise, etc. Ordinarily from two to five hours, or longer, 
are needed. 

Eating Between Meals. — This is another of the causes of dyspepsia, 
for which the foundations are laid in childhood. When the ordinary meals of 
the day are sufficiently near each other, nothing should be taken into the 
stomach between meals. Even fruit, which so many consider healthy at all 
times, rol^s the stomach of its needed rest.* 

Best Times for Meals. — Breakfast should be eaten as soon as possiltle 
after rising. If not convenient to eat at once, a single cup of warm wheat or 

• Conveksation with a Doctor. — "Well, doctor, is it injurious to eat between msals f " 
"That depends on the length of the interval." 

" I mean the ordinary or usual meals of th« day, as observed in communities generally." 
" It is ; the stomach, after being taxed with the work of digestion after the ordinary 

meals, needs rest, and D\ust liave it, or it will suffer sooner or later." 
" Then you thiiilc the eating of fruits between meals is not well ? " 
" I do. The only proper rule is to give the stomach its necessary rest; rob it of that, and 

«oon the penalty must come." 



92 Home and Health. 

corn, coffee or chocolate, with plenty of milk, will remove the feeling of 
languor and faintness for an hour or more. 

Dinner should be eaten late in the afternoon cr early in the eve.ling. It is 
the principal meal of the day, and, to be enjoyed as well as digested, admits 
of neither hurry nor interference. The work of the day should be over ; and 
a long rest should follow before bed-time. Eat no late suppers. 

Jjxmclieon in the middle of the day is the meal most abused. It is rarely 
that sufficient time is taken for it. This meal should consist of substantial 
food, but light ir. quantity. The pressure of work at midday is so great that 
the digestive organs should not be heavily taxed at that time. Take all meals 
at regular hours,* 

Comparative Value of Different Modes of Cooking. — All meats, pork 
excepted, are the most healthful when cooked so as to retain their juices. 
This is best done by roasting. Broiling ranks next, then comes boiling, and 
last we have frying. Cook meat, as far as possible, in its own juices. Veg- 
etables follow the same rule.f 

Variety of Vegetables at the Same Meal. — "Shall we eat several 
kinds of vegetables at the same meal ? " is a question often asked. A well 
known physician answered it thus : " I would not burden you with severe re- 
strictions here ; but if my good wife should ask me for ' mine good opinion,' 
I would gently hint to her to cook not more than two." " Should she ask for 
the reason, what then ? " "I would answer, that most vegetables digest 
more easily alone. Indeed, this is true of most kinds of food, I think, tak- 



* " Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in 
due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness ! " — Ecclesiastes x, IT. 

" The natural division of the day for necessary repasts, is Breakfast, evjht, or iMlf after ; 
Dinner, one. or half after ; Supper, eight, or half after. And these, or even earlier 
hours, were formerly observed in these countries. Then we had scarcely any such thing as 
gnit, and no nerrorts disorders. 

"In ancient nations the custom was to eat but once; and then about midday." — Dr. 
Adam Clabkk, in loo. 

t A Conversation : " Doctor, how shall we cook vegetables ? " 

" I will give you the same general rule as before : The best mode is to cook them bo as to 
.eta\r. their own juices. Baking, therefore, is my preference. Beets baked are far prefera- 
ble to boiled beets. In boiling, much of the most valuable ingredients which ai-e In the 
juice, is lost." 

" You surprise me ; I have never eaten Jbaked beets." 

"Then try them. Have your cook thoroughly bake them. In eating, slice them, and 
spread with butter. In some sections of Europe the baked beet is sold to the peasantry as 
a good substitute for the bread-loaf, and is eaten in the same way. I need not say that It is 
relished." 

* Now, as to o'^^her vegetables ? " 

' I need not teil you that baked potatoes are the best; fried are the worst Let the rule 
be to cook them with as Httle grease as possible. Milk is much more healthful with vege- 
tables than grease." 



Hints About Healthful Eating. 93 

ing society as it is, the best advice I can gire you is to eat a variety of food, 
but not many kinds at the same time." 

" How Long to Starve." — A man will die for want of air in five minutes, 
for want of sleep in ten days, for want of water in a week, for want of food 
at varying intervals, dependent on constitution, habits of life, and the cir- 
cumstances of the occasion. The captain of a Boston whaler was wrecked. 
For eight days he could not get a drop of water, nor a particle of food. On 
the day of the wreck he weighed a hundred and ninety pounds ; when res- 
cued he weighed one hundred pounds. A teaspoonful of brandy was given 
to each sailor ; but before they could be taken aboard the vessel which saved 
them they became unconscious, and remained so for two days, but all event- 
ually recovered. Many persons have been killed by eating too much after 
having fasted for a long time ; the safe plan of procedure, and which every 
reader should bear in mind, is to feel the way along, as persons who are 
traveling in the dark and fear a precipice ahead ; there can be no one rule giv- 
en, because there are so many modifying circumstances. Give a tea-spoon- 
ful of hot drink at a time, and if no ill result, repeat in five minutes, and 
the same amount of soft food, boiled rice, or softened bread, or gruel ; for 
the stomach is itself as weak as the sufferer in proportion, and can only 
manage a very small amount of food. 



FOOD FOR THE SICK. 

Toast and Water. — Toast about three inches of the crust of bread till 
it is of a light brown on both sides ; then plunge it into cold water, and 
let it stand for half an hour in a covered vessel. When the crumb is used 
it soon sours in a warm room, and when made with boiling water it is insipid 
and unrefreshing. 

Barley Water. — Get some pearl-barley, wash it in four waters — that is, 
water poured on it four times and thrown away, so that it may be clean; 
rub two or three pieces of sugar on a lemon cut open, and put them in a 
jug with the washed barley and a few slices of lemon ; then pour boiling 
water on the whole, and cover it over until it is cold. 

Barley Gruel. — Boil two ounces of pearl barley in half a pint of water 
to extract the coloring matter, throw this away and put the barley into three 
pints and a half of boiling water, and let it boil till it is one half the quan- 
,ity ; then strain it for use. 

Oatmeal Gruel. — Take two table-spoonfuls of oatmeal, half a blade 
of mace, a piece of lemon peel, three quarters of a pint of water or milk, 
ft little sugar. Mix two spoonfuls of oatmeal very smooth in a little water. 



94 Home and Health 

and put it gradually to three quarters of a pint ; add a little lemon peel, and 
half a blade of mace ; set it over the fire for a quarter of an hour, stirring 
it constantly. Then strain it, and add sugar to taste. 

Parched Corn Gruel. — There are frequently sick people whose stomachs 
reject all kinds of nourishment until conditions follow that in many cases 
of this kind terminate fatally. In many cases where the popular sick-bed 
nourishments are prescribed and rejected, a simple saucei of parched corn 
pudding or bowl of gruel will seldom be refused. The corn is roasted 
brown, precisely as coffee is roasted, ground as fine as meal in a coffee mill, 
and made either into mush, gruel, or thin cakes, baked lightly brown, and 
given either warm or cold, clear, or with whatever dressing the stomach will 
receive or retain. 

Ground Rice Milk. — This is an agreeable way in which to administer rice 
to the sick : Boil together two tablespoonfuls of ground rice with a pint of 
aiilk. Sweeten it according to taste, adding the juice of a lemon. Let the 
whole boil half an hour over a moderate fire. Eat it warm. 

Bread Jelly. — Take one roll, one lemon, one quart of water, and sugar 
10 taste. Or take the crumb of a penny roll; cut it into thin slices, and 
toast them of a pale brown on both sides. Put them into a quart of spring 
water. Let it simmer over the fire till it has become a jelly. Strain it 
through a thin cloth, and flavor it immediately with a little juice and sugar. 

Iceland Moss Jelly. — Wash and bruise Iceland or Irish moss, and soak it 
all night ; dry and boil it, putting an ounce to a quart, till it is reduced to 
one half the quantity of water; strain it through a sieve. Take it with 
milk, or flavored to taste. It may be boiled in milk and turned into a shape 
when cold. 

Apple Tapioca. — Pare, core, and quarter eight apples ; take half a spoon- 
ful of tapioca ; put it to soak and swell all night in the water ; put in half a 
teacupful of white sugar and a little lemon peel ; put this into a stew-pan, 
and let the tapioca simmer ten minutes, then put in the apples and stew ten 
minutes more. When the tapioca is clear, it will form a jelly around the 
apples. 

Tapioca Jelly. — Take four tablespoonfuls of tapioca ; rinse it thoroughly, 
then soak it five hours in cold water, enough to cover it. Set a pint of cold 
water on the fire ; when it bolls, mash and stir up the tapioca that is in 
water, and mix it with the boiling water. Let the whole simmer gently, with 
a stick of cinnamon or mace. When thick and clear, mix a couple of table- 
spoonfuls of white sugar with half a tablespoonful of lemon-juice ; stir it 
uito the jelly ; if not sweet enough, add more sugar, and turn into cups. 

Meat Jelly. — Take half a pound of mutton, half a pound of beef, and 



Food for the Sick, 9^ 

half a pound of veal or pork, with a small piece or bone of bacon ; put in 
water enough to keep it from burning, and cover it close ; let it simmer for 
three or four hours till the juice of the meat is entirely out, then strain it 
off, and let stand till cold. If there is any fat, it can then be removed. A 
person recovering from an illness must not be left all night without food. 
Some of this jelly placed beside him, where he can reach it easily is a very 
excellent thing. 

To Make Arrow-root. — Put one teaspoonf ul of arrow-root into a basin ; 
rub it very smooth with two spoonfuls of cold water; pour over this half & 
pint of boiling jvater or milk in such a proportion as may be allowed, stirring 
wel' tl e whok time. It is generally better to boil it for two or three min- 
utes. Sweetei to taste. 

Apple Water. — Slice two large apples, put them into a jar, and pour over 
them one pint of boiling water. Cover close for an hour ; pour off the 
fluid, and sweeten if necessary. 

Apple Tea. — Roast eight fine apples in the oven, or before the fire ; put 
them in a jug with two spoonfuls of sugar, and pour over them a quart of 
boiling water. Let it stand one hour near the fire. 

Currant Drink. — To a pint of fresh-gathered currants (stripped) put a 
pint of water ; let them boil together ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, 
then strain and sweeten to taste ; a few raspberries added give a pleasant 
flavor. The same may be produced in winter by simmering two tablespoon 
fuls of currant jelly in half a pint of water. 

Beverage of Figs and Apples. — Have two quarts of water boiling ; split 
six figs, and cut two apples into six or eight slices each ; boil the whole to- 
gether twenty minutes ; pour the liquid into a basin to cool, and pass through 
a sieve when it is ready for use. The figs and apples may be drained for 
eating with a little boiled rice. 

Ice Cream and Beef Juice. — Here is the prescription for a relishable 
dietary article highly commended by an Illinois physician : — 

^ Cream, 120 grams 

Sugar, 30 " 

Extract of vanilla, . . . . 8 " 

Beef juice, 8 " 

Any confectioner can make it, or it may readily be prepared at home with 
a freezer. Its uses are obvious. 

Broth from Foinrls. — Take an old fowl ; stew it to pieces with a couple of 
wions. Season lightly with pepper and salt ; skim and strain it. 

Chicken Broth. — Cut up a young fowl into several pieces, put in a stew- 
pan witli three pints of spring-water set Oft th.Q tstovc fire to boil ; skim avcIL, 



96 Home and Health. 

and add a little salt ; take two tablespoonfuls of pearl barley, wash it in bev- 
eral waters, and add it to the broth, together with one ounce of marsh-mal- 
low roots cut into shreds, for the purpose of better extracting its healing 
properties. The broth should then boil one hour, and be passed through a 
napkin into a basin, to be kept ready for use. 

To Cook Birds for Convalescents. — Lay them upon the gridiron ; broil 
ontil they have a light brown color, then put them in a stew-pan; pour 
over hot water enough to cover them. Let them stew until tender. Season 
with a little fresh butter, pepper and salt. Chickens, birds, and squirrels, 
stewed in a double kettle, are very delicate for invalids. If permitted, stuff 
the fowls and birds with minced oysters. 

Mutton Broth. — Take one pound of scrag of mutton, put it into a sauce- 

T)an with two pints of water and a little salt ; let it simmer gently for two 

ours ; strain it through a sieve, and when cold carefully remove every parti- 

,'.e of fat. It may be thickened with a little arrow-root or ground rice, as 

•equired. 

A Strong Broth. — One pound of veal ; one pound of beef ; one pound of 
the scrag end of a neck of mutton ; a little salt ; three quarts of water. 
Put the above quantities into three quarts of water, with a little salt, and a 
few whole peppers. Boil it until reduced to on« quart. 

Calves' Feet. — Take two calves' feet ; two pints of water ; one pint of new 
milk ; a little lemon peel or mace. Put the ingredients into a jar, cover it 
down, and keep it in the oven for four hours. When cold, remove the fat. 
Flavor it with lemon peel or mace, as preferred. This is very strengthening 
if taken the first thing in the morning and the last at night. 

Nourishing Soup. — Two pounds of lean veal or beef; a quarter of a 
pound of peail barley ; a little fresh celery ; a little salt. Boil two pounds 
of lean veal or beef, with a quarter of a pound of pearl barley in a quart of 
water very slowly, until it becomes the consistency of good cream ; flavor it 
with a little fresh celery. Strain it when done through a fine hair sieve, and 
serve. This soup will only keep until the next day, therefore not more than 
the quantity required must be made. 

Honey should not be eaten by the sick and feeble, as it continues for a 
long time in the stomach, and frequently causes '* sourness " and flatu^pnce. 

Isinglass may be put into the invalid's tea, morning and evening, a good 
pinchful for a teacup. It may also be introduced, as much as possible, into 
the food of the weak, as it is most strengthening. 

Brewis. — This is very good food for children. It is nothing more thaL' a 
thick top crust of bread put into the pot where salt beef irf boiling, and is 



Food for the Sick. 97 

nearly doL? ; it 'jlraws the fat, becomes relishing with the flavor of meat and 
salt, and is nourishing to the stomach. 

S?iet and Milk. — One tablcspoonful of shredded beef-suet ; half a pint of 
fresh milk. Mix these ingredients, and warm them sufficiently to melt the 
suet completely. Skim it. Warm the cup into which you pour it, and give 
it to the invalid to drink before it gets cold. 

Mucilage of Gum-arabic. —One ounce of gum-arabic in powder; mix we.l 
with two tablespooufuls of honey ; shave a little rind of lemon ; clean off the 
white pith, and cut the lemon in slices into a jug; then stir on it, by degrees, 
a pint and a half of boiling water. This is particularly good in any com- 
plaint that affects the chest, as cough, consumption, measles, etc. 

Strong Tonic Drink. — A quarter of an ounce of camomile flowers ; a 
quarter of an ounce of sliced gentian root ; a quarter of an ounce of bruised 
calumba ; a quarter of an ounce of dried orange peel ; fifty cloves, bruised ; 
a pint and a quarter of cold spring water. Put these ingredients into a jug, 
and pour over them rather more than a pint of cold water ; let it stand twen- 
ty-four hours, then pour off the clear liquor. Take three tablespooufuls for 
a dose, fasting every morning. 

Bran Tea. — This is sometimes invaluable for softening the throat, ana 
most nourishing for the sick and aged. Take two or three tablespooufuls of 
middle-sized bran, (not coarsest, as that is greasy,) put it into a jug, and pour 
on it one quart of boiling water ; let it stand for about a quarter of an hour, 
and then pour off the water from the bran. The tea may be sweetened with 
white sugar or fine honey. When wine has been ordered for the patient, it 
may be added, or a little lemon juice. It is, however, not unpleasant without 
either of these additions. A wine-glass full of this tea may be taken many 
times in the day. Several persons in France have been kept alive with no 
other nourishment for weeks. 

Savory Custard. — A savory custard, much relished by sick people, \% 
made in the following manner : Take the yolks of two eggs, and the white of 
one, and put in a small basin ; add one gill of beef-tea, and a quarter of a 
salt-spoonful of salt ; whip up the eggs and the beef -tea ; take a small cup, 
which will hold the mixture, and butter it ; take a piece of white letter paper, 
and butter that, and tie it on the cup ; have a sauce-pan with hot water, and 
put it on the fire to boil ; when the water is boiling put in the cup so that the 
water stands below the top of the cup ; let it simmer for a quarter of an 
hour ; serve hot. 

Raw Beef. — Physicians often administer to consumptives and persons of 

frail constitutions a diet of finely chopped raw beef, properly seasoned with 

salt, and heated by placing the dish containing it in boiling water. This food 

is given, also, in cases where the stomach rejects ahuost every other fonn of 

7 



98 Home and Health. 

food. It assjmi.ates rapidly and affords nourishment, while patients learn to 
long for and like it. 

Some of the severest forms of that distressing ailment called dysentery are 
sometimes entirely cured by the patient eating a heaped tablespoonful of raw 
beef at a time, cut up very fine, and repeated at intervals of four hours until 
cured, eating and drinking nothing else in the meanwhile. 

Recipe for Beef Tea. — Mince finely one pound of lean beef, placed in a 
J reserve jar or other suitable vessel, and pour upon it one pint of cold water, 
Sdr, and allow them to stand for about an hour, so that the goodness of the 
meat may be dissolved out. Next place the jar or vessel in a sauce-pan of 
water over a fire, and let the water boil gently for an hour. Remove the jar 
and strain. The beef tea which runs through contains a quantity of fine sedi- 
ment, which is to be drunk with the liquid, after being flavored with salt to 
suit. The jar may also be placed in an oven for an hour, instead of in the 
water, as above. Beef tea, thus prepared, represents a highly nutritive and 
restorative liquid, with an agreeable, rich, meaty flavor. The old method 
of boiling the beef over a fire in a saucepan makes a soup or broth, not a 
tea.* 

♦Beef Tea. — Some of the medical profession differ regarding the action of beef tea. 
Some declare it very inferior as a food ; others believe it a most nseful substance to sustain 
the body under great exhaustion. It is an established fact, that the greater portion of the 
albuminous tissue in the body is furnished by animal or nitrogenous food, and there seems 
no reason to doubt that the same elements can be supplied to the body in the more concen- 
trated form of beef tea, or meat-juice, such tea thus making one of the most valuable tis- 
sue builders we possess. It has certainly had a great reputation from the earliest times, 
and there are many instances in which it has saved lives. 

Among many cases we may cite a strii<ing example of the useful and nutritive efficacy of 
beef tea in a case of inanition in an infant now six months old. The mother of the patient 
had three children, the first of which was still-born, the second died nine days afterbirth from 
Inanition, and the third began to decline when she was three weeks old. Knowing the tend- 
ency to death in her second child, and suspecting it was due, probably, to the inefficiency of 
the mother''s milk, a thoroughly supporting treatmentwas adopted, and fifteen drops of "Val- 
entine's preparation of meat-juice," three times a day, together with diluted cv>w s'milk and 
lime-water were given. The mother's supply of milk was also kept up. The cow's mi'.k 
had a tendency to curdle, in spite of the lime-water, and so was discontinmd. The child 
began to improve in a few days, and, in the words of the mother, "got fat and ^olid." In 
the course of a few months the stock of meat-juice became exhausted, and the mother con 
eluded to do without it, " since the child had improved so remarkably." She was, however 
obliged to resume it again, as she relates "that on the second day after the meat-juice was 
left off, the little girl went quite thin and soft, over the whole body, and became very fret- 
ful ;" but on its renewal, in three or four days the child became healthy and well again. 
The meat-juice furnished more than the salts which it contains, as the child became fat, and 
her flesh hardened, showing an improvement in the muscular structure. Milk is the natu- 
ral and suitable food for infants, but in this case, and doubtless in many others, the chila 
would have been reduced to starv.aticn if compelled to depend alone upon the mother's 
breast for nonrishnent. 



Water — Its Relation to Health. 99 

WATER-ITS RELATION TO HEALTH. 

The water we drink has been correctly described as a " life-giving and life- 
destroying element." Pure water, like pure air, is essential to good health. 
Polluted water, like impure air, is one of the most common sources of disease. 
Its natural history reveals the secret of its true quality. 

Its Source. — Traced to its origin, water, in its continuous circulation 
through the atmosphere and oceans of our globe, is first pure distilled water, 
evaporated at comparatively low temperature by the heat of the sun, and 
raised far up in mid-air, and drifted slowly toward the poles of the earth by 
the return trade-winds. When warm air-currents, saturated with watery 
vapor, meet with colder ones, their capacity for holding water in solution is 
diminished ; a portion of the latter is condensed and is precipitated in the 
form of rain, snow, hail or dew, in a state of almost absolute purity, upon 
the mountains and lowlands. Thus it comes down pure upon the ground, 
filters through a wholesome soil, issues in abundant springs, gravitates to- 
ward the water basins of the earth, and gradually drains into the ocean, 
from which, in process of time, it will again be converted into vapor, and 
re-enter into its ceaseless circulation. All supplies of fresh water are, there' 
fore, derived from condensation of the watery vapor contained in the atmos- 
phere. 

Spring and Well-water in the Country. — In rural districts the water of 
springs and wells is comparatively pure. The pure rain (always pure when 
it first falls unless the air through which it passes is filled with noxious 
gasses) percolates through the soil, and filtrates into the subterraneous water 
strata or fountains, and thence issues in a comparatively pure condition at 
the open spring or well. Of course, the " purer the soil filter, the purer the 
spring." 

How Water Becomes Polluted. — The pure water after falling from the 
clouds firi;,"^ through the soil, and carries from the rocks and soil certain solu- 
ble parts, the nature and amount of which depend upon the nature of the rock 
and soil, ic is always contaminated by passing through a drainage area of 
polluted giound. In this respect, the increasing density of population and 
the encroachment of civilization upon the primeval state of the earth's sur- 
face have largely altered these conditions for a supply of pure water. Not 
only in crovded centers of population and industry, but also in some agri- 
cultural ditf ricis, the soil is more or less contaminated with sewage and all 
kinds of effete or decaying matters. 

Well-water Often Dangerous. — Few wells, as ordinarily constructed, are 
free from surface pollution. Their walls are open from bottom to top foi 
the inflow of the water from the contaminated soil and surface-water 



100 Home and Health. 

around. A densely crowded population soon impregnate the surface soil 
with filth, which drains into the water-course below, especially if such water 
is near the surface ; the walls of the wells are so constructed as not to pre- 
vent its inflow, " Artesian wells" and " deep driven wells " from which the 
surface water is excluded furnish the best water, (except pure rain water,) which 
can be obtained with the expense of lengthy and tightly-closed conduits, in 
which the water is brought from a distance and from unpolluted reservoirs. 

Caution in Locating Wells. — Every well should be widely separated fron 
barn-yards, cess-pools, pens, sinks, and similar places, and should not be sim- 
ply stoned up with loose stones or bricks, so that any surface liquid that fil- 
ters through the soil has free access ; but its walls should be made water-tight 
with cement, so that nothing can reach them except that which has been fil 
tered through dense beds of unpolluted ground below. If this precaution is 
neglected, the best and deepest well may become continually contaminated 
by infiltration from the surrounding surface. If, at any time, no good drink- 
ing water can be had, or its purity appears doubtful, the only way to remove 
its dangerous qualities is to filter the water through thick layers of fine sand, 
or, better, through ground charcoal or animal charcoal. 

Care in Constructing Cisterns. — Cisterns should be constructed of suita- 
ble material, carefully built and covered, and so placed that no foul air can 
pass through or over the water they contain. The overflow pipes from cis- 
terns should be free from connection with any other pipes. Roofs and gut 
ters supplying cisterns must be frequently inspected, and some simple cor- 
trivance should be adopted to insure their careful cleansing before the water 
is allowed to run into the cistern. Cistern water ought to be frequently ex- 
amined, and be kept free from color, odor, or other indications of impurity. 

How to Examine Suspected Water. — A simple method of examination 
is bj dissolving a lump of loaf-sugar in a quantity of the suspected water in 
a clean bottle, which should have a close-fitting glass stopper. Set the bottle 
in the window of a room where the sunlight will fall on it. If the water re- 
mains bright and limpid after a week's exposure, it may be pronounced fit for 
use. But if it becomes turbid during the week it contains enough impurity 
to be unhealthy. Such water should not be used for drinking purposes until 
it has been boiled and filtered ; after which it should be aerated by any sim- 
ple process, such as pouring several times from one vessel into another in the 
open air. This is Heinsch's water test. 

Purifying Water With Alum. — It is not generally known that pounded 
alum possesses the property of purifying water. A tablespoonful of pulver- 
ized alum sprinkled into a hogshead of water (the water stirred at the time) 
will, after the lapse of a few hours, by precipitating to the bottom the im- 
pure pjirti'^^ss, so purify it that it will be found to possess all the freshness 



Water — Its Relation • to Health. 101 

and clearness of the finest spring water. A pailful containing four gallons 
may be purified by a single teaspoonful. 
Is Soft Water Better than Hard Water for Drinking Purposes ? — 

Waters which contain only small quantities of these lime and magnesia com- 
pounds are said to be " soft," while those which contain them in greater pro 
portion are described as being " hard." It is not advisable to use habitually 
a very hard water either for culinary or dietetic purposes ; the presence, how 
ever, of a fair amount of these saline impurities — the occurrence of which 
constitutes "hardness" — rather increases than impairs the value of water as 
a beverage Tliere are, though, it should never be forgotten, certain other 
impurities sometimes found hi water which render it quite unfit for use, and 
which have, indeed, been the cause of much disease and suffering, when 
water containing them has been used for dietetic purposes. Spring water 
is best adapted for drink when it is soft, although it is often oppressive 
to weak stomachs. It often proves injurious to domestic animals when they 
are confined to it, and is particularly disliked by horses. 

Water-Cure or Hydropathy. — Water has been used in the treatment of 
disease from very early times. By the Priessnitz system water alone is used 
as a cure for nearly all diseases. Among the processes of hydropathy are 
the Sitz bath, the douche, the shower bath, and cold water compresses. For 
the beneficial application of water treatment in various diseases, the reader 
is referred to the ensuing pages. 

Water a Powerful Absorbent. — Few persons know how certainly and 
rapidly water imbibes the impurities of the air. Many of us think if the 
water be clear and cold it must be perfectly pure, though it has stood in a 
close bedroom twenty-four hours ; but this is far from true. If a pitcher of 
water be set in a room for only a few hours it will absorb nearly all the re- 
spired and perspired gases in the room, the air of which will have become 
purer, but the water utterly filthy. The colder tlie water is, the greater the 
capacity to contain these gases. At ordinary temperatures, a pail of watei 
can contain a great amount of ammonia and cai^bonic-acid gas ; and its capac- 
ity to absorb these gases is nearly doubled by reducing the water to a tem- 
perature of ice. 

Caution Concerning Standing Water. — The inference is, therefore, plain 
and irresistible that water kept in a room over night is totally unfit for drink- 
ing purposes, and should not be used to gargle in the throat ; also, that a 
large pail of water standing in a room would help to purify the atmospheret 
but should be thrown away the next morning ; it also teaches us the reason 
that the water from a pump should always be pumped out in the morning be- 
fore any is v.sed. 

Distilled Water.— Absolutely pure water is only to be obtained by distil 



102 HoM'Si ^NB JlEALiH. 

laticn. It is then so insipid that we are unable to drink it, because it doee 
not contain the solid matter we are accustomed to drink. 

Do Lead Pipes Poison the Water ? — So general is the impression that 
water becomes impregnated with the poison by standing in lead pipes and 
metallic lined water pitchers that many writers on hygiene recommend that 
lead pipes should be avoided when possible ; and then when used the water 
sl.ould " run awhile before using." This precaution can do no harm, and yet 
t) e question whether wa ter is poisoned by flowing through lead pipes was 
lately discussed in the French Academy of Sciences, with results that are 
calculated to quiet the apprehensions of those who get their water supply 
through such pipes. M. Dumas stated that in his chemical lectures he had 
long been accustomed to employ a very simple experiment for the purpose of 
showing that water corrodes lead only under special conditions. He takes 
distilled water, rain water, spring water, river water, etc., and drops into each 
a piece of lead. It is found that only the distilled water acts on the lead, the 
salts of lime in the rest of the specimens preventing the reaction. M. Bel- 
grand read to the Academy a memoir giving the results of his investigations 
into this subject. The ancient Romans employed lead water pipes on a large 
scale, but yet no Latin medical writer says any thing of lead poisoning pro- 
duced by the water. According to M. Belgrand, one sixth of a grain of cal- 
careous salts to the quart prevents the dissolution of the lead. He exhibited 
to the Academy pieces of lead pipes which had been in service from the time 
of Louis XIV., without showing any sign of corrosion ; and analysis of water 
that had passed through a long line of lead pipes showed the complete ab- 
sence of lead. 



ICE WATER AND HEALTH. 

Ice Water Hinders Digestion. — Cold water is a less rapid solvent than 
warm water, aa cold air is a better preservative than warm air. So ice water 
taken into the stomach chills the coats and contents of that organ, and thus 
suddenly checks and hinders the digestion of the food. 

Iced Drinks Affecting the Head. — An intelligent and influential medical 
journal says very sensibly, " Drinks should be sipped, not gulped," and adds : 
" The intimate connection between stomach and brain is known to every body, 
and it must be obvious that to pour an iced draught into the stomach must at 
once send the blood to the head. Very few who have indulged in the rapid 
drinking of these beverages have failed to notice that a sudden pain in the 
head was the result. It may have been a sharp shoot, or a mere feeling of 
dullness, and it may have passed off in a moment, but it was at least incipi- 
ent congestion of the brain." 



lee Water cmd Health. 103 

Other Evils of Iced Drinks. — Another eminent hygienic authority urges 
that "no well man has any business to eat ices or drink iced liquids in anj 
shape or form, if he wants to preserve his teeth, protect the tone of his stom- 
ach, and guard against sudden inflammations and prolonged dyspepsia. It is 
enough to make one shudder to see a beautiful young girl sipping scalding 
coffee or tea at the beginning of a meal, and then close it with a glass of ice- 
water ; for at thirty she must either be snaggle-toothed, or wear those of the 
dead or artificial." 

A Suggestive Caution about Ice. — Dr. W. W. Hall, in one of his Health 
Tracts, has these suggestive words: "If the reader is down town or away 
from home on a hot day, and feels as if it would be perfectly delicious to 
have a glass of lemonade, soda-water, or brandy toddy, by all means let hira 
resist the temptation until he gets home, and then take a glass of cool water, 
a swallow at a time, with a second or two interval between each swallow. 
Several noteworthy results will most assuredly follow. 

"After it is all over, you will feel quite as well from a drink of water as if 
you had enjoyed a free swig of either of the others. 

" In ten minutes after you will feel a great deal better. 

" You will not have been poisoned by the lead or copper which is most often 
found in soda-water. 

" You will be richer by six cents, which will be the interest on a dollar for a 
whole year ! 

" You will not have fallen down dead from the sudden chills which some- 
times result from drinking soda, iced water, or toddy in a hurry." 

How to Cool Drinking Water without Ice. — Fresh spring or well water 
is abundantly cool for any drinking purpose whatever. In cities where wa- 
ter is artificially supplied, the case is somewhat different; but even» then 
there is no good excuse for drinking ice-water, because, even if the excuse 
were good in itself, the effects on the stomach and teeth are the same. 

Make a bag of thick woolen doubled, lined with muslin ; fill it with ice ; 
have in a pitcher an inch or two of water above the faucet, and let this bag 
of ice be suspended from the cover within two inches of the surface of iie 
water. The ice will melt slowly and keep the water delightfully cool, but not 
ice cold. A still better effect will be produced if the pitcher is also well en 
veloped in woolen. Again, water almost as cool as it can be, unless it has ice 
actually in it, may be had without any ice at all by enveloping a closed pitcher 
partly filled with water with several folds of cotton, linen, or bagging, and so ar- 
ranging it that these folds are kept wet all the time by water dripping from 
another vessel, on the principle of evaporation. 

Water which is not iced may be drank freely throughout the meal, as tb« 
natural thirst demands. 



104 Home ajs^d Health. 

SUMMER BEVERAGES. 

Avoid all Alcoholic Drink. — Any diink which contains alcohol, (eveu 
cider, beer, and domestic cordials,) is not only not harmless, but positively 
injurious, because a single atom of alcohol, by using the strength of the 
present, leaves the system just that much weaker than it would have been li«d 
not that atom of alcohol been taken. The atom of alcohol has not one par- 
ticle of nutriment, and hence cannot supply the system with one atom of 
strength. See chapter on " Alcoholic Drinks." 

Good Cool Water. — The first and the best, because the safest, drink for 
laborers, invalids, the sedentary, for all times of the day and night, is half a 
glass at a time, repeated in ten minutes, if desired, of common water. As al- 
ready indicated in the chapter on " AVater," it should not be used too cold, 
nor in large quantities at a time. All the water taken into the stomach must 
pass away. If it be in excessive quantities, the strain upon the system will 
be too great. The skin, the kidneys, bowels, lungs, all are drawn upon. The 
result is, as may be naturally expected, exhaustion. For this reason, the man 
who drinks much water, particularly during the summer, and in the hottest 
weather, is less able to endure fatigue. The excess of water is of no benefit 
to him. A safe rule is to drink only a little at a time. 

To Allay Thirst Without Drinking. — Cold water apphed to the head 
ifl very refreshing to harvesters. Wading in water abates thirst. Persons 
cast away at sea will suffer less from thirst if the clothing is kept wringing 
wet with salt water. A piece of silk fitted in the hat at an equal distance 
from the hair and top of the hat is a great protection to the head against sun 
heat ; it is an absolute protection if one side is well covered with gold leaf. 
As there is always a space between the top of the head and the crown of the 
hat, hatters should utilize this idea. 

The Best Kind of Water. — According to Dr. Gautier, the best drinking 
water should be destitute of any particular taste, and must be positively re- 
jected should it contain any odor whatever. Its temperature should be com- 
prised between forty-two degrees and sixty degrees Fahrenbeit. As the water 
introduces not only oxygen and hydrogen into the system in the proportions 
necessary to form water, but also such mineral substances, in solution, as are 
indispensable to life, it will be readily understood that absolutely pure water 
is not suited for the sustenance of life. There must, however, be a limit to 
the quantity of such foreign ingredients, under the penalty of injury to 
health. 

Lemonade and Lemons. — Lemonade is a simple and grateful beverage. 
To make it " best," roll the lemons on something hard till they become soft ; 
cut or grate off the rinds, cut the lemons in slices, and squeeze them in a 



Summer Beverages. 105 

pitcher, (a new clothes-pin will answer for a squeezer in lieu of something 
better ;) pour on the required quantity of water, and sweeten according to taste. 
After mixing thorou^ily, set the pitcher aside for half an hour, then strain 
the liquor through a jelly strainer, and put in the ice. Do not drink lemon- 
ade if your physician tells you there is an excess of acid in your system. 

Lemon Sugar for Travelers. — Travelers who find it inconvenient to use 
lemons can carry a box of lemon sugar, prepared from citric acid and sugar, 
a little of which in a glass of water will furnish quite a refreshing drink, and 
one that will help oftentimes to avert sick-headache and biliousness. Citric 
acid is obtained from the juice of lemons and limes.* 

Lemons for Excessive Thirst. — When persons are feverish and thirsty 
beyond what is natural, indicated in some cases by a metallic taste in the 
mouth, especially after drinking water, or by a whitish appearance of the 
greater part of the surface of the tongue, one of the best " coolers," inter- 
nal or external, is to take a lemon, cut off the top, sprinkle over it some 
loaf sugar, working it downward into the lemon with the spoon, and then 
suck it slowly, squeezing the lemon, and adding more sugar as the acidity in- 
creases from being brought up from a lower point. 

Lemons for Invalids. — Invalids with feverishness may take two or three 
lemons a day in this manner, with the most marked benefit, manifested by a 
sense of coolness, comfort, and invigoration. 

Lemons at " Tea-time." — A lemon or two thus taken at " tea-time," as 
an entire substitute for the ordinary " supper " of summer, would give many 
a man a comfortable night's sleep and an awakening of rest and invigora- 
tion, with an appetite for breakfast, to which they are strangers who will 
have their cup of tea or supper of " relish " or " cake " and berries or 
peaches and cream, f 

Organic Matter in Drinking Water. — The presence of organic matter 
in waters has been considered one of the principal causes of any injurious 

* While traveling recently, says Dr. A. N. Bell in the Sanitarian, our attention was in- 
conveniently called one morning to empty water tanks. But there were others, children 
especially, who, on crawling out of the sleeping bunks, were in want of water more than we 
were — to drink. It was long, however, before the cars halted, and the tanks were filled 
from a road-side stream. Of this the thirsty drank. We ventured to suggest to the porter 
that possibly this water was not wholesome. But the suggestion that "water as clear as 
that" was not clean, to him was absurd. The same suggestion to the conductor was equally 
Incomprehensible. It is just such water that collects and holds in soluticn the poison of 
typhoid fever, which summer travelers so often take home with them. 

t The lemon thus eaten was the great physical solace of General Jackson in his last ill- 
ness, which was consumption combined with dropsy. Itloosenec' the cough, and relieved 
him of much of that annoying hacking and hemming which attends diseases of the throat 
and lungs, being many times more efficient, speedy, and safe than any lozenge or " trocho" 
ever swallowed. 



106 Home and Heai^th. 

qualities they may possess ; to their presence being attributed the develop- 
ment of such diseases as diarrhoea, dysentery, intermittent fever, typhoid 
fever, etc. Of these ingredients, carbonate of lime is the most common, 
and of this there may be, without inconvenience, 10-100 to 20-100 of a 
gramme to the litre. An appreciable percentage of phosphate of lime ren- 
ders the water unfit for domestic and industrial uses ; and for general pur- 
poses there should not be a greater percentage than 2-100 to 5-100 of a 
gramme to the litre. Small percentages of the chlorides generally affect 
water disadvantageously for drinking purposes. The maximum, however, 
should be 8-100 to 10-100 of a gramme to the litre. 

Various Drinks. — If any thing is added to the summer drink it should 
contain some nutriment, so as to strengthen the body as well as to dilute the 
blood for the purpose of a more easy flow through the system ; as any one 
knows that the thinner a fluid is the more easily does it flow. Some of the 
nutritious and safe drinks are given below, especially for those who work in 
the sun of summer, all to be taken at the natural temperature of the shad- 
iest spot in the locality. To any of them ice may be added, but it is a 
luxurious, not a beneficial, ingredient nor a safe one. 

1. Buttermilk. 

2. A pint of molasses to a gallon of water. 

8. A lemon to half a gallon of water and a teacupful of molasses, or as 
much sugar. 

4. Vinegar, sugar, and water are substitutes, but the vinegar is not a nat- 
ural acid, contains free alcohol, hence is not as safe or healthful. 

5. A thin gruel made of corn or oats, drank warm, is strengthening. 

6. A pint of grapes, currants, or garden-berries to half a gallon of wat€ " 
is agreeable. 

Orangeade Medically Prescribed. — Dr. Walter Lewis, in describing 
tlie precautions against cholera adopted at the General Post-office, in Lon- 
don, Eng., says : " The men employed in sorting letters and newspapers 
suffer much from thirst, especially in the hot weather, and consequently 
drink much water while engaged in their duties. Although the post-office is 
supplied with excellent water, much diarrhoea was, nevertheless, the result 
of this practice. To remedy this, the officers, clerks, and men of all classes, 
have of late been supplied from the medical department with a most agree- 
able drink, which not only assuages the thirst, but has, moreover, strong 
antiseptic and anti-diarrhoea properties. It is called orangeade, and is thus 
composed: Take of dilute sulphuric acid, concentrated infusion of orange 
peel, each twelve drams ; syrup of orange peel, five fluid ounces. This quan- 
tity is added to two imperial gallons of water, A large wine-glassful is 
taken for a draught, mixed with more or less water, according to taste. The 



Summer Beverages. , 107 

officers drink this with pleasure. It is being consumed in large quantities 
daily, and I am convinced it will be the means of warding off a great deal of 
sickness." 

Ices and Ice-cream. — The growing use of ices, and the custom of taking 
ice-water or other very cold drinks or food, as ice-cream, etc., cannot but 
prove unfavorable to health, especially when one has low vital power, with 
insufficient power of the stomach to react and restore the degree of heat act- 
ually demanded that digestion may proceed naturally. Digestion is ai rested 
as soon as the temperature of the stomach falls below about 90 degrees 
Fah., and when cold drinks are taken by the weak, at least some consider- 
able time must elapse before it is restored ; in some instances hours, at- 
tended by great waste of power, and a derangement of the stomach. Cold 
drinks also excite and inflame the throat, causing an artificial thirst, never 
satisfied by such drinks, to say nothing of the danger of contracting colds by 
this unnatural chilling of the stomach, often followed by bowel derange- 
ments, inflammation of the stomach, and by still worse ailments. 



TEA AND COFFEE AND HEALTH. 

How Tea is Grown. — The tea-plant is a native of China, and resembles 
the low whortleberry bush in many respects. The Chinese raise it very much 
as we raise corn — three to five plants in a hill, raised from the seed. The 
plants are not allowed to grow more than one and a half feet high. Only the 
medium-sized leaves are picked, the largest being left to favor the growth of 
the plant. The picking occurs (1) in April, of the young and tender leaves; 
^2) about the first of May, of the full-sized leaves ; and (3) about the middle 
of July, the last making an inferior quality of tea. 

Preparation of Tea for Market. — Tea leaves are first wilted in the 
sun, then trodden in baskets by barefooted men to break the stems, next 
rolled by the hands into a spiral shape, then left in a heap to heat again, and 
finally dried for the market. This constitutes black tea, the frequent expos 
ure to the air and to heat giving it its dark color. 

For green tea the leaves, instead of being first exposed to the air, are fiied 
for a short time as soon as gathered, then rolled and quickly dried ovei' a fiie. 

The green tea of commerce is artificially colored with tumeric powder and 
a mixture of gypsum and Prussian blue, the latter in very minute proportions. 

Canton teas are usually scented by the infusion of the blossoms of certain 
aromatic plants. 

In this country damaged teas and the " grounds " left at hotels are re- 
rolled, highly colored, packed in old tea-chests, and sent out as new teas. 



108 Home and Health. 

Certain varieties of black tea, even, receive a coating of black lead to 
make them shiny.* 

The Chinese always dr'nk black tea, using no milk or sugar, and prepare 
it, not by steeping, but by pouring hot water on the tea, and allowing it to 
stand for a few moments. 

The Tea Plant in Respect of Quality. — The tea plant will bear a 
wide range of climatic variation without serious deterioration. The richness 
of the soil ani the mode of cultivation exercise a paramount influence on 
the quality of the tea. In this respect the tea-plant is like the tobacco- 
plant or the mulberry-tree. 

The youngest leaves give the best tea ; hence the high price of choice 
teas, for to produce any considerable weight of young leaves a great number 
of plants are required, while the same weight of old or full-grown leaves is 
produced by a comparatively small number of plants. The age of tea leaves 
may be ascertained by a chemical examination of the ash left on burning 
them. As the leaves grow they lose in potash and phosphoric acid, both abso- 
lutely and relatively, and gain in lime and silica. Examinations made at 
periods of fourteen days asunder exhibit these phenomena with sufficieot 
distinctness. In the practical examination of teas there is a very valua'jle 
and simple rule : Much potash and phosphoric acid, together with little limr and 
silica, means good tea, and the reverse poor tea.\ 

Tea and Digestion. — Tea possesses an active principle called theine. It 
contains tannin, which, if the tea is strong, coagulates the albumen of the 
food — actually tans it — and thus delays digestion. 

Tea-Drinking and Sick-Headache; An Illustration. — The import- 
ance of the question involved in this caption leads us to insert here — though 
in a re-arranged form — the history of a case, reported originally by R. B. 
Gregg, for the Homeopathic Quarterly Revieiv, and later printed by permis- 

* A splendid specimen of tea, grown in the Himalayas, was chemically examined by 
ZoUer, and the following results obtained. In 100 parts of the tea there were 4.95 parts of 
moisture, and 5.63 parts of ash. The ash contained in 100 parts, showed the following in- 
gredients : 

Potash 39.22 

8oda 0.65 

Magnesia 6.47 

Lime 4 24 

O.xide of iron 4.38 

Protoxide of manganese 1 (»3 

Phosphoric acid 14.55 

t " Oolon g " — A variety of black tea, possessing the flavor of green tea, 
"^Hufion " — A. fragrant species of green tea. 

" Onn pored er" — A species of green tea, each leaf of which is rolled into a small ball or 
lellet 
'^ Hoiichong'" — A kind of black tea. 



Sulphuric acid trace. 

Chlorine 3.S1 

Silica 4.35 

Carbonic acid 24.30 



Total 100.00 



Tea and Coffee and Health. 109 

sion in a health magazine edited by one of the compilers of the present vol- 
ume. The entire case is presented in the language of the writer — a compe- 
tent witness. 

The Doctrine Stated. — The writer says: "From considerable observa- 
tion I have come to view tea as a more prolific cause of that terrible suffer- 
ing, so aptly described by the phrase sick-headache, than any other one thing, 
if it is not the cause of more cases of this disease than all else betides ; an i 
I will give examples which seem to confirm this view m >st positively. 

A Home Case. — "The first of these, and one of the cleaiest and most 
positive in its evidence, occurred in my own family, and although it may be 
regarded by some as a violation of propriety in such matters to so definitely 
designate the patient, still the case seems of too much importance, too clear 
in its proof, to allow any alternative, or tolerate, in short, any doubt to ari:>e 
as to its genuineness by withholding the name. Besides, it will readily be 
seen that a physician could hardly become so familiar with all the details of 
a case, and remain so for so long a time, outside of his own household. 

Was the Case Hereditary ? — " My wife was several years a victim to 
frequent and most terrible paroxysms of sick-headache. She commenced 
suffering from it in the twenty-fourth year of her age, soon after the birth of 
our first child. Her father, mother, and grandmother upon the mother's 
side, were also all great sufferers from the same — the grandmother till she 
died, the father and mother are so still. From this fact I attributed its ap- 
pearance in my wife's case to a strong hereditary predisposition, developed 
into activity by the change her system had recently passed through, and so 
regarded it for four or five years. And believing, as I do, that inherited dis- 
eases ought to be cured so long as they remain functional, or before any real 
organic changes have taken place in them, I gave my attention to the 
means of cure, without regarding the cause beyond what has just been men- 
tioned. 

Failure of Remedies. — " In regard to curing, however, I was doomed to 
disappointment, for not the slightest curative action was established in her 
case. During the first throe or four years medicines frequently mitigated the 
severity of the paroxysm, but these would recur just as often ; in fact they 
increased in frequency from year to year,*tintil they occurred commonly every 
week, and became so A'iolent that nothing afforded any relief ; and then she 
used to say that, in addition to the frequent paroxysmal attacks, she did not 
pass a minute at any time, when awake, without more or less pain in the 
head. Under this state of things other and more serious symptoms began 
also to manifest themselves, which appeared as though they must sooner or 
later lead to paralysis, if they were not arrested. 



110 Home and Health. 

More Careful Investigation. — " Medical aid having now, for so long a 
time, completely failed to do what it certainly seemed that it ought, and what 
results in the treatment of other maladies would lead us to expect, I began 
more seriously to consider the cause of her trouble, to see U this was not in 
part, at least, to be found in some daily habits of living, instead of its all 
being hereditary ; or if not this, then to see if there ^vas not something m 
those habits which was continuously acting in a manner to pre rent medicines 
from developing their curative effects. 

The True Cause Suspected. — "I then recalled the facts, that she had 
never drank tea until aft§r she was married; that she had drank it, in- 
variably, three times a day from that time — she was not in the habit of 
drinking coffee ; that she never had a sick headache until some three years 
after commencing the use of tea ; and that she never went without it one 
meal after the headaches began to trouble her but she was szire to have one 
of her most severe paroxysms. From this last fact, and the more I reflected 
upon it, the more confident I became that the tea had something, at least, to 
do either in causing or aggravating her disease. 

The Usual Answer. — " Upon this conviction becoming more fully im- 
pressed upon my mind, I urged her to leave off drinking tea entirely, and 
substitute cold water for it. This, however, she thought both very unpleasant 
and difficult to do. So time passed on for a year or two longer, and with it an 
increase of suffering, until it became still more clear that something must 
be done, or very serious consequences in the way of paralysis, or some kin- 
dred disease, would certainly ensue. 

First Efforts for Relief. — " She then abstained from her tea entirely. 
I told her she would no doubt suffer severely for a few days, as this ap- 
peared unavoidable, from the fact that she always experienced such increased 
severity of pain from going without it one meal ; and we were not disap- 
pointed. For nine or ten days her sufferings were continuous, and about 
half of this time they were terrible. On the fourth day the pain in the head 
was 80 extreme it seemed that congestion and inflammation of the brain 
must result, if it continued. She was writhing in agony the most of that 
day, entirely unable to sit up, yet found it almost impossible to lie down, 
therefore was constantly changing her position in bed, to find a Httle relief 
After this worst day, however, the intensity of the pain subsided in a 
measure, though she still suffered, much of the time greatly, until the tenth 
day, when all the acute pain ceased, but the whole head, both internally and 
externally, was left very sore. 

Relief at Last. — " The soreness continued a week or more, when that, 
too, passed off, giving place to a very weak fe<jling through the head, of some 
days' duration ; and then she went along s< me three weeks before another 



Tea cmd Coffee omd Health, 111 

attack of headache, longer than she had gone before in two or three years, 
and this was much lighter, and of shorter duration, than former paroxysms. 
After this she went six or seven weeks before another attack, and this was 
still lighter, and soon passed over entirely, leaving the head more free from 
all symfttoms than it had been for years. Following this she had no more 
trouble until the succeeding December, about six months from the last par- 
oxysm, above mentioned. 

Relapse and Recovery. — " At that time our little daughter had scarlet 
fever, and my wife seemed to contract diphtheria from it. At least, she had a 
severe attack of this disease, as did very many other adults in this city, that 
winter, in families where children had the scarlatina. This left her throat so 
sensitive for a short time that she could not drink cold water, but drank tea 
three or four days, when she was seized with another severe paroxysm of 
sick-headache. Then she abstained from it the second time, and from that 
day to the present, nearly three years, she had had but little distress of any 
kind from the head, until during a short illness last February, when she 
drank tea again, for a week or ten days, and in that time it commenced de- 
veloping all the old symptoms. Upon this she wholly abandoned the idea of 
ever again using it, convinced that it is one of those agents that her system 
will not tolerate. 

Was the Case " Peculiar ?" — ** Now, all this might, with some plausi- 
bility, be said to be the result of a very unusual peculiarity of constitution, 
a highly-marked idiosyncrasy, and, therefore, not important in its bearing 
upon other cases. But let us consider this point. Fortified with the facts 
that this case furnished me, I have advised all patients consulting me the 
last two years, for sick-headache, to abandon at once and wholly the use of 
tea, of any and all kinds. It has been difficult, though, to induce any to do 
so, the hold which habit had upon them being so strong, and utterly im- 
possible to persuade others to make the sacrifice. 

A Remarkable Test. — " Of the few who have complied with my request 
there were three men past middle age, and otherwise tolerably healthy, but 
who were among those the worst afflicted with this malady of any that I have 
ev er met. One of these was upward of sixty years of age, and had suffered 
his entire lifetime, or from his earliest recollection, with sick-headache, fre- 
quently as often as every week, and sometimes for two days at a time. I 
pi-escribed for him several times, but with no other result than to partially 
relieve the seventy of the attacks — did not break in at all upon the fre- 
quency of their recurrence— so finally prevailed upon him, two years ago 
last spring, to abstain from the use of tea. 

As he lived out of the city I never learned the result until three or four 
months since, when I one day met him upon the street, and he remarked, 



112 Home and Health. 

* Well, doctor, I got rid of my sick-headaches by stopping tea.' He further 
said that his pain was much greater than common for a few days after leaving 
it off. h\. t he then went much longer than usual before another attack, which 
was also less severe, and after two or three such recurrences, each at longer 
intervals and in less violence, they disappeared entirely. And that of late 
he had tried to use tea again, but even when taken very weak it brought on 
many of ihe former symptoms. 

A Second Remarkable Test. — "Another of the three cases was thai 
of a man aged about fifty years. He had been afflicted some thirty yearf 
or o\ er, or from his early manhood, with sick-headache. For some two years 
or more I was called to him repeatedly for attacks of this disease, and in 
several instances had to attend him two and three days before the symptoms 
would yield. His distress at such times was really terrible. No other ex- 
pression would at all adequately describe it. He would sometimes go two 
and even three days without sleep, and all the time under apparently as ex- 
treme pain as a man could endure and retain his consciousness. Indeed, 
during two or three of these attacks he did become very delirious. And 
finally, also, he began to show marked symptoms of paralysis, his extremities 
becoming numb, and in several instances losing the use of his legs in a great 
measure, during the severity of the paroxysm. I had urged him repeatedly 
to leave off the use of tea, and finally about a year since, during one of the 
worst attacks he had ever had, I told him there was no need of all this, and 
no sense in his refusing longer to abandofi what I believed to be the cause of 
it all ; and that there was not a doubt in my mind that his legs would be 
paralyzed in another year if he continued it. He stopped the tea then in 
the midst of that attack, had but one or two light returns of it afterward, 
passed the winter free from them, and left here for the West this last spring, 
saying he had not been so well in years. 

A Third Remarkable Test. — " The third and last of these three cases 
was that of a man aged from forty-five to fifty years. He, too, was a great 
and frequent sufferer from the disease under consideration, and had been for 
many years, though the duration of the paroxysms was seldom, if ever, so 
long as in either of the other cases ; and he found relief just the same in 
abandoniig tea. 

Relief for Most Headache Sufferers. — "Now, then, in view of these 
cases, is it not important that all who suffer from sick-headache should be 
warned against drinking tea ? It should be understood, however, that the 
claim is not made that all such cases are canned by this agent, for I well know 
the contrary to be true, having met with a few persons who suffered from it 
that never drank tea. But from the two or three years observation, since my 
mind was more especially called to the subject, I have no hesitation iu declar- 



Tea and Coffee and Health. 113 

mg my belief tluit a large proportion, if not, indeed, a large majority, of those 
afflicted with this disease who do drink tea, will find great, and many entire, 
relief from abandoning at once and wholly the use of this beverage. 

The Kinds of Tea Used — '* With regard to the kinds of tea, there seems 
to be no particular difference in their effects upon the nervous sjsten; in the 
oases given, so that the drinkers of black teas can claim no advantages in this, 
as is done h. other respects, over those who use the green teas, jiovvice versa 
The relief was just as prompt in abandoning the one as the other My wift 
never drank any other than black tea, and always used it weak. The first 
one of the three other cases reported drank black tea also, but stioag; the 
next one used both black and green strong ; while the third, or last, generally 
drank green tea very strong. Neither did it appear to make any diff,»rence 
in regard to temperaments with these cases, one of the four having black hair 
and black eyes, another dark brown hair and hazel eyes, another sandy hair and 
blue eyes, and the fourth more of a flaxen hair, and very light blue eyes. 

Other Suspected Bad Effects of Tea. — " The possible effects of tea in 
producing other and more serious diseased conditions than we have been con- 
sidering should not be overlooked. ... It will have been seen that in two of 
the cases reported there were marked indications of paralysis, and there were 
certainly reasons to fear that it might become permanent in both. Then, 
when we reflect that this disease is so alarmingly on the increase — that, con- 
trary to what used to be the case, so many young or youngish persons are 
becoming paralyzed — it is of the utmost importance to investigate its causes, 
and see if tea may not be one of them in some of these cases. Delirium, 
too, is not an uncommon attendant upon the severer paroxysms of sick-head- 
ache, and may not this possibly afford a clue to the cause of a few, at least, 
of the rapidly-increasing numbers of cases of insanity throughout the civil- 
ized world ? " 

Tea a Powerful Excitant. — It is not asserted that tea does operate as 
a cause of such troubles, for there is no positive proof of it as yet. We all 
know that this article is a powerful excitant of the nervous system, and from 
this fact alone is as liable to produce insanity as many other agents which af- 
fect the brain. 

Tea a Powerful Astringent. — Again, the known astringent properties 
of tea would seem as though they must make it a cause of chronic constipa- 
tion with many who drink it. 

How to Test Each Case Properly. — As for hoping to cwri sick-head- 
ache by medical treatment, when tea-drinking is the cause of it, and this is 
continued, it is utterly useless to waste time in the endeavor, and the height 
of absurdity to expect to produce such a result. No disease was ever yet 
really cured, wl ere, through the ignorance or perverseness of the patient, the 
8 



ll-t Home and Health. 

cause of it was constantly or frequently renewed. It is not possible that it 
should be done ; therefore let the physician do his duty in all such cases, and 
raise the warning voice ; then place the responsibility where it properly be- 
longs, if his advice is not heeded. 

How to " Stop " Drinking Tea. — If patients are advised to break off 
" gradually," the gradual is seldom reached, and when it is, they see no im 
provement for so long a time — from the fact that the weaker article is sufficient 
tc keep the symptoms active after the resisting power of the nervous system 
has once been broken down — that they will almost always abandon the eff jrt, 
and stoutly maintain that tea has nothing to do with it. Besides, all the ben- 
efits of the powerful reaction accruing from the sudden stoppage are lost, and 
the patient will drag along for months, if not years, to reach that exemption 
from the effects that those stopping suddenly will get in a few days, or at 
most in a few weeks. When any thing is actually causing suffering, how ab- 
surd to continue it in less strength, hoping that thereby we can compromise 
with Nature and stop her protests ! 

The Old Cry Stated. — But the old mistaken logic often comes to the 
physician, thus : "Why, doctor, when I have the headache nothing gives me 
so much relief as a good strong cup of tea." This is the best evidence that 
it injures them. It is only the temporary relief afforded by a more powerful 
re-stimulation, while the next paroxysm must come so much the sooner, or in 
greater severity, as a result of the renewed attack upon the nervous forces. 
In fact, though not so disreputable, it is only the old cry of the inebriate in 
his cravings : " Give me my drinks, they are all that relieve me." 

How Tea was Banished from a Minister's Table. — Rev. Dr. X., t 

well-known minister, furnished us the following record of his experience oi 
the tea question : Over twenty-five years ago I was in feeble health. Ont 
day I visited an able physician, stated my case, and requested his counsel as 
to the most suitable treatment. He responded, "Let us first determine, if 
possible, the cause of your imperfect health : do you use tea ! " 

" I do." 

" I thought so," said the doctor. 

"How so?" 

" Your countenance and your general physical symptoms told me the story.'' 

" Then you really think the drinking of tea is hurtful ? " I inquired with 
some emphasis. 

" Often," carefully and considerately responded the doctor, adding, " It 
certainly harms you." 

I shall never forget the unpleasant surprise I felt at his opinion. I had nr. 
confidence in its correctness, and left him with a feeling akin to contempt for 
his judgment — not doubting, however, his sincerity. Soon after, I met an 



Tea and Coffee am^d Health. 115 

other physician, of much larger experience, and of wider renown, espeeiaily 
as to his knowledge of the pathology of disease. I asked his opinion. 

"I would advise you to abstain from the use of tea," was his very first 
word of counsel. 

" But, doctor, how do you know I use it ? " 

" The symptoms betray you ; I suppose they give correct witness ! " 

I was nonplused again. After leaving the doctor, I considered the whole 
question, and by the time I had reached the parsonage I had nearly deter 
mined to test, by the most careful personal experience, the correctness of the 
unexpected and doubtful professional opinion which had now been repeated. 
My wife suggested that in a matter of so much importance as health, it would 
be " better to err on the safe side ; " the omission could " do no harm." The 
thing was settled — tea was banished from the table, except when guests were 
present, and then it was only used by them. My general health began to im- 
prove, and in less than three months the whole tone of my nervous system 
became so transformed for the better as to be a matter of special notice anil 
congratulation on the part of my friends. From that day to this neither my 
wife nor myself have used tea of any kind as a beverage. We occasionally 
sip it in " homeopathic doses " when abroad, so as not to excite remark, but 
its use is only the record of twenty-five years ago. 

Is Tea Good for Well People ? — Tea derives its beneficial qualities not 
from its supply of n itrition, for it supplies none, but from its affording 
theine, the effect of which in the system is to diminish the waste, thus 
making less food necessary at the time tea is taken. Whether such effect is 
needed depends largely upon the previous habits of the drinker. Its stimu- 
lus is peculiarly grateful to the aged who have been accustomed to drink it, 
Our advice to all, however, is never to drink strong tea^ except as a medicine, 
and under the advice of a competent and reliable physician. Unless a stim- 
ulus is required, some other warm drink, as " wheat-tea," " corn-tea," or 
" rice-tea," etc., with the milk and sugar added, is always to be preferred. 
The latter are much relished by those who are accustomed to use them. * 

Coffee as a Beverage.— Coffee, though of a taste little allied to tea, de- 

* It is an incontrovertible physiological fact, says Dr. Hall, that any artificial stimulus 
■iontinued for a few days makes the system feel the want of it, instinctively lean upon it, 
and look for it ; but this is not all ; the same amount of stimulation is demanded every 
day ; but to create that amount, a larger and an increasing quantity of the stimulus be- 
comes necessary, or it must be more frequently supplied. No habitual user of spirits, or o( 
2ea and coflfee, can possibly deny this after ten years' practice. As proof, see how much 
oftener they drink, or smoke, or chew than when they first entered on the miserable, use- 
less, and degrading career of self-indulgence. The truth is, tliere is no safety except in ab- 
solute refus* oven to taste a drop or chew an atom. He who takes one drop may die in 
the gutter ; bo who has the high moral courage to refuse that first drop, that first atom, 
never aan 1 



116 IToME AND Health. 

rives its efficien/:-y in precisely the same manner and from nearly the sam* 
substances. Its value and effects in the system are therefore the same em 
those above stated. Yet it must be generally conceded that a free coffee 
drinker will almost invariably complain oi oiliousness and present a cadav- 
erous appearance. For woi'king people, as a rule, coffee will seldom pro- 
duce this effect; but for all persons of sedentary habits, who take but 
little exercise, coffee is not to be recommended. In the case of coffee, as iv, 
that of tea, it should not be di'ank strong^ except as a medicine. As a rule, 
coffee is less harmful than tea. 

Substitutes for Coffee. — Chocolate is generally much more healthful 
than coffee ; but care should be used to get it pure. Corn coffee, whciit 
coffee, and the other kinds of coffee made from the use of tie r\><v6ted 
cereals, are to be preferred, as in the case of tea.* 



THE AIR WE BREATHE. 

The Wonder of Breathing. — The perfection of the organs of respira- 
tion excites our wonder. "The hand that formed them must have been di- 
vine." So delicate are these organs, that the slightest pressure would cause 
exquisite pain, yet tons of air surge back and forth through their intricate 
passages, and bathe their innermost cells. Every year we perform seven mill- 
ion acts of breathing, inhaling one hundred thousand cubic feet of air, and 
purifying over three thousand five hundred tons of blood. This gigantic 
process goes on constantly, and never wearies or worries us, and we only 
wonder at it when science reveals to us its magnitude. In addition, by a wise 
economy, the process of respiration is made to subserve a second use no less 
important, and the air we exhale, passing through the organs of voice, is 
transformed into prayers of faith, songs of thanksgiving and praise, and 
words of love and social enjoyment. 

Fresh Air Constantly Needed.f — None of the wants of the human 
body are so constant and pressing as that of air. Other demands may be 
met by occasional supplies, but the air must be furnished every moment oi 
we sicken and die. 

* " Children who drink tea and coffee," says Dr. Ferguson, of England, " as a rule, only 
grow four pounds per annum between the ages of thirteen and sixteen, whils those who 
Irink milk night and morning grow fifteen pounds each year. When lisoases are prev- 
alent in the neighborhood children who use these drinks have less power to resist sickness 
Ihan others. 

t Mr. Louis Winters, a sculptor and mason at Stoke-Newington, England, describes an 
interesting natural curiosity in his house. Some years ago he observed on the banks of 
the Thmaes, at Kew, a small wasp's nest. This he carefully secured, after stupefying the 
in-sects by the fumes of wetted gunpowder. Kemoving the nest, then about the size of an 
ordinary apple, to his house, he placed it in a glass case inside the outer wall of the build- 



The Air We Breathe. IIY 

What is Pure Air ? — The air we breathe is composed of nitrogen, oxy- 
gen, carbonic acid, and watery vapor. The first forms four fifths, the second 
one fifth, the third about y^\^^, and the last a variable amount. The nitro- 
gen and oxygen form so large a part, that they are considered in ordinary cal- 
culations to compose the whole atmosphere. In the animal world the oxy- 
gen is the life-giving element, and carbonic acid the destroyer, while in the 
vegetable world this order is exactly reversed. Thus, deprived of plants we 
should soon exhaust the oxygen from the air, supply its place with carbonic 
acid, and die ; while they, removed from us, would soon exhaust the carbonic 
acid, and die as certainly. The nitrogen is of a negative character, and 
neither supports life nor destroys it. Yet we cannot live without it, for the 
oxygen would be too active, and our life would be excited to a pitch of which 
we can scarcely dream, and would sweep through its feverish course in a few 
days. The watery vapor supplies the animal and vegetable worlds with wa- 
ter. Were the air perfectly dry, our flesh would become shriveled like a 
mummy's, a ud leaves would wither as in an African simoom. Any thing that 
chaiiges the proportion of these elements render air impure. 

How Fresh Air Purifies the Blood. — In the delicate cells of the 
lungs the air gives up its oxygen to the blood, and receives in turn carbonic 
acid gas and water, foul with waste matter which the blood has picked up in 
its circulation through the body. The blood thus purified and laden with the 
inspiring oxygen, goes bounding through the system, while the air we exhale 
carries off the impurities. In this process the blood changes from purple to 
red, while if we examine our breath we can readily see what it has removed 
from the blood.* 

ing, through which he bored a small hole for ingress and egress, and carved the figure of a 
beehive on the outside. The wasps took kindly to their new abode, especially as several 
gardens and nurseries adjoin the house. They have subsequently increased wonderfully 
in numbers, and have enlarged the nest until it is nearly a foot in diameter. It is calcu- 
lated that the present number of wasps must be at least several thousands. The glass 
case, which is usually covered and darkened, permits the unflagging diligence of the little 
•irchitects to be closely watched. But the most interesting feature of the community 
within is their persistent and systematic attention to ventilation. In this respect they ar« 
(I model to human householders. During the recent hot weather from four to six wasps 
were continually stationed at the hole of egress, and, while leaving space for entrance or 
exit, created tt steady cu7'rent of /re^ih air by the exceedingly rapid motion of their 
icings. After a long course of this vigorous exercise, the ventilators were relieved by 
other wasps. During the cooler weather only two wasps at a time were usually thus en- 
gaged. The utmost harmony and industry appeared to pervade this ftrauge and crowded 
establishment of interesting but much maligned little creatures. 

* Let those who wish to test this, breathe into a jar, then lower into it a lighted candle. 
The flame will be extinguished iujmediately, thus showing the presence of carbonic acid gas. 
Or breathe upon a mirror, and a film of moisture will show the vapor. If the breath is con* 
fined in a bottle for a time, the animal matter will decompose, andgivooff an ofltensive snaell. 
-Stkblb. 



118 13LOME AJSTD Health. 

Our exhaled breath, therefore, is the air robbed of its vitality, and containiug 
m its place a gas which is as fatal to life as it is to a flame, and effete mattei 
which at the best is disagreeable to the smell, injurious to the health, and may 
contain the germs of disease. Air containing only three or four per cent, of 
carbonic acid gas acts as a narcotic poison, and a much smaller proportion 
will have an injurious effect. Careful investigations show that air containing 
more than six tentJis of one per cent, of carbonic acid in one thoiisand parts 
9/ air, is really adverse to comfort, and obnoxious to health, the vitiated con- 
dition increasing in proportion to the increase of the carbonic acid. 

Capacity of the Lungs for Air. — There are in an average sized and 

Avell -developed human body about six hundred millions of air cells, into which 
the air passes in order to purify the blood. According to Hutchinson, a man 
of medium height will expel at a single full breath about two hundred and 
thirty cubic inches, or a gallon, and for each inch in height between five and 
six feet, there will be an increase of eight cubic inches. In addition, it is 
found that the lungs contain about one hundred cubic inches which cannot 
be expelled, thus making their entire contents about three hundred and thirty 
cubic inches, or eleven pints. The extra amount always on hand in the lungs 
is of great value, since thereby the action of the air goes on continuously, 
even during a violent expiration. 

Amount of Air we Breathe. — A full sized man takes into his lungs at 
each breath about a pint of air; while in there all the life-nutriment is ex- 
tracted from it ; and on its being sent out of the body, it is so entirely desti- 
tute of life-giving power, that if re-breathed into the lungs again without the 
admixture of pure air, the individual would suffocate, would die in sixty seconds. 
As a man breathes about eighteen times in a minute, and a pint at each breath, 
he consumes over two hogsheads of air every hour, or about sixteen hogsheads 
during the eight hours of sleep ; that is, if a man were put in a room which 
would hold sixteen hogsheads of air, he would, during eight hours' sleep, ex- 
tract from it every atom of life-nutriment, and would die at the end of eight 
hours, even if each breath could be kept to itself, provided no air came into 
the room from without. 

Healthful Respiration.* — Respiration consists of two acts, inspiration, 

♦ Sighing is merely a prolonged inspiration, followed by an audible expu-ation. 

Cough 1 110 is a violent expiration in wbicb tbe air is driven tbrougb tbe moutb. 

Sneezing differs from coughing, tbe air being forced tbrougb tbe nose. 

Snoring is a sleeping accompaniment, in wbicb tbe air passes tbrougb tbe nose and 
moutb . Tbe peculiar sound is produced by tbe palate flapping in tbis divided current ul 
air, and so throwing it into vibration. 

Laughing and Crying are very much alike, tbe expression of tbe face being necessary 
to distinguisb between Ihem. The sounds are produced by short, rapid contractiou of tbe 
diaphrag;m. 



The Air We Breathe. 119 

Uking in the <aii-, and expiration, expelling it from the lungs. When we draw 
in a full breath we straighten the spine, and throw back the head and shoul- 
ders so as to give the greatest advantage to the muscles. At the same time 
the diaphragm descends and presses the walls of the abdomen outward, both 
of which processes increase the size of the chest. Then the elastic lungs 
expand to occupy the extra space, while the air rushing in through the wind- 
pipe pours along the bronchial tubes, and crowds into every cell. 

When we forcibly expel the air from our lungs the operation is reversed. 
This is called expiration. We bend forward, draw in the walls of the abdo- 
men, and press the diaphragm upward, while the ribs are pulled downward — 
all together diminishing the size of the chest, and forcing the air outward. 
Ordinary, quiet breathing is performed mainly by the diaphragm, one breath 
to every four beats of the heart ; or eighteen per minute. 

Relief from Hiccough. — The following simple directions have proved 
successful in numerous cases, and bear the indorsements severally of respon- 
tible names : — 

1. " Holding the breath " as long as possible. 

2. Drinking as many successive swallows as possible without breathing. 
8. Startling the patient by a sudden motion or communication. 

4 Eating sugar, or drinking "sugared water." The latter is often given 
to infants by their nurses as a " sure cure." 

5. Concentrating the mind intensely upon some subject. 

6. Hold up the right arm, extending the hand as far as possible, and 
look at it. 

How to Check Sneezing, Coughing, etc. — Dr. Brown-Sequard, in one 
of his Boston lectures, says : " There are many facts which show that mor- 
bid phenomena of respiration can be also stopped by the influence of arrest. 
Coughing, for instance, can be stopped by pressing on the nerves on the lip 
in the neighborhood of the nose. A pressure there may prevent a cough 
when it is beginning. Sneezing may be stopped by the same mechanism. 
Pressing in the neighborhood of the ear, right in front of the ear, may stop 
coughing. It is so also of hiccough, but much less so than for sneezing or 
coughing. 

" Pressing very hard on the top of the mouth, inside, is also a means of 
stopping coughing. And I may say that the will has immense power there. 

niccough is confined to inspiration, and is caused by a contraction of the diaphragm, and 
a constriction of the glottis. 

Yawn 17)0 or gaping is like sighing. It is distinguished by a wide opening of the mouth, 
and a deep, profound inspiration. Both processes furnish additional air, and, therefore, prob- 
ably meet a demand of the system for more oxygen. Frequently they are like laughing, 
sobbing, etc., a sort of contagion which runs through an audience, and seems almost irre 
ftistible. 



120 * itoME AND Health. 

There was a French surgeon who used to say, whenever he entered the wards 
of the hospital, The first patient who coughs here will be deprived of his 
.ood to-day. It was exceedingly rare that a patient coughed then. 

" There are many other affections associated with breathing, which can he 
stopped by the same mechanism that stops the heart's action. In spasm of 
the glottis, which is a terrible thing in children, as you well know, as it some- 
times causes death, and also in whooping-cough, it is possible to afford relief 
by throwing cold water on the feet, or by tickling the soles of the feet, which 
produces laughter, and at the same time goes to the matter that is pro- 
ducing the spasm, and arrests it almost at once. I would not say that we can 
always prevent cough by our will ; but in many instances those things are pos- 
sible, and if you remember that in bronchitis and pneumonia, or any other 
acute affection of the lungs, hacking or coughing greatly increases the trou- 
ble at times, you can easily see how important it is for the patient to try to 
avoid coughing as best he can." 

Evil Effect of Breathing Respired Air. — If we take back into our 
lungs that which has been expelled, we soon feel the effect. The muscles after 
a time become inactive, the blood stagnates, the heart acts slowly, the food is 
undigested, the brain is clogged. The constant breathing of even the slightly 
impure air of our houses cannot but tend to undermine the health. The blood 
is not purified, and is in a condition to receive the seeds of disease at any time. 
The system uninspired by the energizing oxygen is sensitive to cold. The 
pale cheek, the lusterless eye, the languid step, speak too plainly of oxygen 
starvation. 

In such a soil catarrh, scrofula, pneumonia and consumption run riot. 
Black, in his " Ten Laws of Health," says, " The lack of what is so abun- 
dant, and so cheap — good, pure air — is unquestionably the one great cause 
of pulmonary consumption." 

The foul air which passes off from the lungs and the pores of the skin does 
not fall to the floor, but diffuses itself through the surrounding atmosphere. 
A suigle breath will to a trifling extent taint the air of a whole room. 

The Air in Rooms Vitiated by Lighted Fires. — It is estimated that 
a light or a fire will vitiate as much air as a dozen persons. Carbonic oxj le 
gas, a product of combustion more deadly than carbonic acid gas, leaks oat 
from a stove through the pores of the hot iron, and, besides the air which it 
draws from the room, it actually poisons that which we breathe. Many 
breaths and lights rapidly unfit the air of a room for use. 

Impure Air in Small Rooms and Tenement Houses. — Small, ill 
ventilated sleeping rooms, in which re-heated air is ever present, are nurs- 
eries of consumption, and an eminent physician says that this disease could 
as effectually be guarded against by propc attention to ventilation, as small 



The Air We Breathe. 121 

pox by vaccination. To a lack of pure air may be attributed tlie existence 
of nearly all the prevalent diseases classed under the head of scrofulous dis- 
eases. Some physicians attribute the prevalence of intemperance among ine 
lower classes to the effect of bad ventilation in the crowded tenements, which 
produces a degree of lethargy sufficient to drive them to the rum shop for 
^stimulants. 

How to Ventilate Houses. — Every sleeping apartment should have a 
G re-place with an open chimney, and in cold weather it is well if the grate 
contains a small fire, enough to create a current and carry the vitiated air out 
of the room. In such cases, however, it is necessary to see that the air drawn 
into the room comes in from the outside of the house. Summer or winter, it 
is well to have a free ingress for pure air. The aim must be to pui-ify the air 
without causing a great fall of temperature. To accomplish this, the windows 
may be drawn down an inch or two from the top, and a fold of muslin placed 
over the aperture to prevent draught.* 

Where the body is kept warm and pure air only inhaled, there is no more 
danger of taking cold in sleeping directly between two windows all the year 
round than there is of taking cold in riding in an open sleigh when thor- 
oughly warmed by wrappings of furs and robes ; and such a thing as taking 
cold under such conditions never occurs, providing, always, the thorough 
warming of the feet and back, which are often neglected. 

Air in Sick Rooms. — Fresh air is one of the most important and diffi- 
cult things to obtain and retain in a sick room. The following simple ar 
rangement will remedy the evil of foul gas, generated by burning a kerosen« 
lamp all night in a nursery or sick room : — 

Take a raisin-box or any other suitably sized box that will contain the lamp 
when set up on end. Place the lamp in the box, outside the window, with the 
open side facing the room. When there are blinds, the box can be attached 
to each by leaving them a little open, and fastening with a cord ; or the lamp 
box can be railed to the window casing in a permanent manner. The lamp 
burns quite a^. '»**l outside, and a decided improvement of the air in the roon? 
if experienced 

Bad Air in School and Lecture Rooms. — Our school rooms, heated 
cy furnaces or red hot stoves, often have no means of ventilation, oi, if provid 
ed, these are seldom used. Pupils starved by scanty lung food (and we migb' 
add brain food) are stupefied by foul air, and are listless and dull. This proc- 

• Dr. August Smith gives a good rule for ascertaining the amount of carbonic fjcid in the 
air of a hou^e: — 

"Let us keep our rooms so that the air does not give a precipitate when a ten and bcil 
ounce bottleful Is shaken with half an ounce of clean lime-water" — a sanitary regiUatlon 
whi^h fan easily \w carrii'd out. 



122 Home and Health. 

ess goes on from year to year, and the Aveakened and poisoned body at lasi 
succumbs to disease, and a " mysterious Providence " is charged with sickness 
and death. The voice of nature, as well as nature's God, cries aloud, "Do 
thyself no barm ' " Those who violate the God-given laws of life and health 
may expect the penalty. Whatsoever we sow we shall inevitably reap. If we 
sow the seeds of disease, we must reap sickness and death. To breathe the 
atmosphere of many school houses, lecture rooms, and theaters, is to breathe 
the atmosphere of death. 

Teachers and Bad Air. — With the vile atmosphere of the school room 
constantly pouring over the lining membranes of the nasal cavities, surging 
about the linings of the throat and vocal organs, driving down the bronchial 
tubes, and deluging the lungs, what wonder the teacher first suffers from viti- 
ated blood, then from clogged membranes, and lastly from catarrh, bronchitis, 
dyspepsia, and perhaps pulmonary consumption ! It is next to impossible 
that the more nervous constitutions should not succumb. 

Foul Air in Churches. — We sit in our churches, from which the air and 
light of heaven have been excluded six days out of seven, and, though venti- 
lated as well as heated for the seventh, we bewail our listlessness and want ol 
interest in the life-giving Gospel, and we c\.arge it either to the preacher or to 
our own depravity, when the fact is, no temporary ventilation can take from 
the carbonic-impregnated crypts and walls the depravity which has there fixed 
its abode. The foul air left by the congregation on Sunday is often shut up 
during the week and heated for the next Lord's day, when the people assem- 
ble, to be re-breathed as polluted atmosphere. 

How to Remove the " Foul Air " Evil from Churches. — The best 
time to change the air in the churches is immediately after the congregation 
has departed. When the services for the day are concluded, and while the 
audience room is still warm, if the windows and doors are left open for a 
short time the cooler air of out-doors will rapidly displace that which has 
been breathed over and over again by the throng of worshipers. A better ar- 
rangement would be to so provide for ventilation in the structure of the 
church that the foul air shall be constantly passing out and fresh air shall be 
constantly supplied ; but in the absence of such an arrangement the sexton or 
janitor should, in the way here suggested, thoroughly ventilate the church 
eriifice after each service. If the intervals between the services are long, it 
may be well, also, to rechange the air a short time before the succeeding 
service. 

Bad Air vs. Religion. — An old number of the JSducat mal Monthly makes 
some suggestive hints under this caption, which we quoie : " Many a farmer 
and housekeeper wonders why it is that they must needs take a nap every 
Sunday in sermon-time. When the parson gets comfortably into the eecond 



The Air We Breathe. 128 

or third head of his discourse, and his congregation have settled into the 
easiest position to Hsten, gentle sleep begins to steal over their faculties, and 
the good man is surprised at finding his argument less cogent than it seemed 
^vhen prepared in the solitude of his study. At home the busy matron never 
thinks of napping at eleven o'clock in the morning, and the man of business 
would consider his sanity or common sense sadly called in question should a 
friend propose a half -hour's nap at that hour of the day. Nevertheless, they 
both sleep like kittens in their pews, and logic, rhetoric, eloquence, are alike 
wasted in the vain attempt to rouse their sluggish souls. The question of the 
poet, so often sung in our assemblies, 

" • My drowsy powers, why sleep ye so ? * 

is exactly in point, and we propose as an answer, ' Because we are all breath- 
ing carbonic acid gas — deadly poison ; because the sexton did not let the foul 
air of last Sunday's congregation out of the doors and windows, and the 
fresh, pure air of heaven in.' 

" Look round at the audience ; that feverish flush on the face isn't heat, it 
is poison. The lady nodding over there, her nose and cheeks like a scarlet 
rose, is not too warm, for the thermometer doesn't stand over 70 degrees ; 
she is partially suffocated ; what she wants is fresh air. That hard-working 
mechanic or farmer doesn't sleep because he watched with a sick child last 
night, but simply for want of oxygen to keep the flame of intellectual and 
physical activity brightly burning. 

" Nobody can rise on wings of faith in a poisonous atmosphere. Oxygen 
and religion cannot be separated in this unrighteous manner. We cannot 
live in conformity to spiritual laws while in open violation of the physical. 

" Is your sexton a man of intelligence sufficient to understand the necessity 
and reason of ample ventilation ? Does he know that every human being 
vitiates, at the least estimate, four cubic feet of air every minute ? Linger 
when the congregation leaves, and see if he shuts every door and window 
tight to keep in all the heat till evening service. Then see how thin the 
lamps burn in the vitiated air; how hard the minister tries to raise hin self 
and his listeners to the height of some great argument, and how stupid they 
are — nothing but bad air. 

*' Now for the remedy, which costs labor and money both, for ventilation i& 
a question of dollars and cents. Saturday the sexton should be instructed :o 
open all the doors and windows ; to let out all the dead and foul air, and let in 
such as is fresh. It takes no more coal on Sunday morning to heat the 
church to 70 degrees because of this purification. Sunday noon let the open- 
ings of the church be again thrown wide — warmth and bad air will alike dis- 
appea", and though extra coal may be required to raise the temperature, the 
minister will preach so much better in consequence, and the hearers will listen 



124 Home and Health. 

wilh such increased relish to the sacred word, that the loss of the pocket will 
be infinitely compensated by the gain of the soul." 

Night Air Healthy. — Many are afraid of night air. Florence Nighingale 
replies to this objection by asking, "What can we breathe at night except 
night air ? " Her rule is to keep the air within as pure as that without the 
house. Don't be afraid to sleep by an open window. It is a common fallacy 
that cold air is necessarily pure, and that apartments need less ventilation in 
viuter than in summer. Coolness does not always indicate fre^nness, and 
disagreeable warmth does not indicate chemical impurity. Draughts are per- 
nicious in tueir effects, and must be avoided. In sleeping in an unavoidable 
draught, turn the face to meet it. 

Water as a Purifier. — A pan of water standing in an inhabited room 
becomes utterly filthy and unfit for drink in a few hours. This depends on 
the fact that the water has the faculty of condensing, and thereby absorbing, 
all the gases, which it does without increasing its own bulk. The colder tlie 
water is, the greater its capacity to contain these gases. The " breathed " 
atmosphere of the room is, therefore, improved by the water, if often changed, 
and proves a good purifier. 

Sea Air. — Sea air, as a rule, is beneficial to health. This is shown by the 
fact that the average life among seamen is larger than among those of most 
vocations on land. The occupations of the former are such that, were it not 
for the healthfulness of the sea air, their lives would probably be shorter 
than those of the latter. The sea air is appetizing, and bracing to the gen- 
eral system. 

Air at the Seaside. — Physicians who have traveled widely and investi- 
gated the subject thoroughly arrive at the conclusion that the healthfulness 
of seaside resorts is owing more to the fact that those who go to such places 
are in the habit of spending much time in the open air, than to any special 
property the localities may possess. In short, if in all sections the people 
were in the habit of being in the open air, their general health would be 
greatly improved. 

Are Winds Healthful ? — Stagnation in the air or water is always hai ni- 
ful. The wind expels the stagnant air, and introduces fresh. Railway tra ins 
or street cars passing rapidly and frequently by a dwellin 5 stir up the at- 
mosphere, and in this respect render important service. It often occurs thai- 
in localities where fevers prevail those persons who reside close to a railway 
escape the disease. The writei knew a case in an eastern lown where nearly 
every household suffered exc< ot those by the track of frequently pass- 
ing cars. 

The prevailing direction of the wind each month of the year is as foUowc : 
In January, north-westerly ; in February, north-westerly ; in March, north- 



The Air We BreatJie. 125 

westerly; in April, northerly; in May, southerly; in June, south-weiiicrly ; in 
July, westerly ; in August, south-westerly, (easterly as often ;) in September, 
easterly ; in October, south-westerly ; in November, northerly ; in December, 
north-westerly. 

Dampness of the Air and Health. — Dry air as a rule is healthier 
than damp or humid air. Hence if rains continue long, or if fogs prevail for 
several days, the system suffers by the increased saturation. While oxygen 
and nitrogen and pure air itself are almost entirely diathermous, the absorp- 
tive power of moisture is very great. It seems that a molecule of aqueous 
Vapor has sixteen thousand times the absorptive power of an atom of ox'^geu 
or of nitrogen ; and carbonic acid, marsh gas, ammonia, etc., are also ex- 
tremely absorptive. Now, when the sun shines on an atmosphere that is diy, 
his rays pass through it in all their power, but when the air is damp the rays 
are much weakened before they reach the earth. On the other hand, -^vhcn 
the air is dry, the heat from the earth radiates into space much faste than 
when it is moist. The importance of these facts from a medical stand-point 
is very great. All the agents just mentioned as powerful absorbents of heat 
are found in greatest abundance near the earth ; consequently they absorb a 
large amount of the heat radiated from the earth, which, it must be borne in 
mind, is the chief source of the heat diffused in the atmosphere. Usually 
over ten per cent, of the heat from this source is absorbed within ten feet of 
the ground. 

On the northern Atlantic coast the south and east winds are, as a rule, 
moist winds ; next come the northerly ; next the south-west ; next the west ; 
next the north ; and last the north-west. The sudden veering of a wind from 
a southerly to a northerly wind is usually attended with a precipitation of 
moisture ; and the same is true of a sudden change of a northerly to an 
easterly. 

Sea and Mountain Air Compared. — An able Italian physician. Dr. C. 
Alberto, in a recent work says : " The marine air produces the same benefit as 
that of the mountain, but each has a different modus efficiendi ; the former 
acts more forcibly and energetically on the constitution which retains some 
robustness and internal resources to profit by it, while the second acts more 
gently, with slower efficacy, being thereby more suitable to the weaker, and 
less excitable organizations. From this important distinction, the conscien- 
tious physician who takes the safety of his patient much to heart, ought to 
be able to discriminate whether the alpine or the marine atmosphere ir the 
better suited to the case he has before him," 

Mutual Diffusion of Air. — The physical law known as that of "mn- 
tual diffusion " plays an important part in all questions relating to the mixture 
of different gases, such as of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbonic acid, which make 



126 Home aistd Health. 

up our atmosphe e. By virtue of this law it occurs that two gases when 
brought together, no matter what their relative weights, become thorough] r 
mixed together, in proportions which are stated as being inversely as the 
square roots of their densities. 

Carbonic acid is a gas so heavy that it may be decanted from one \ossol 
into another; and hydrogen is so light that a balloon filled with it ascends, a? 
we all know, into the air. Yet if a vessel filled with the latter be inverted 
over one containing the former, and a piece of membrane be placed oetwcer 
the mouths of the two, it will be found that, after a while, some of the car- 
bonic acid has ascended into the upper vessel, and the hydrogen has descended 
in the lower one, and mingled with the carbonic acid. A mixture will be 
thus formed in both vessels. 

It is the same in nature. Animals are perpetually exhaling carbonic acid 
into the atmosphere, and were it not for this wonderful property of " diffu- 
sion" a stratum of foul air would lie over the earth, and would possibly ex- 
tinguish animal existence. The great value of connecting the air of our rooms 
with the free and purer air outside is, therefore, apparent. 

Our Great Enemies, the Marshes. — M. Lombard, of Geneva, shows, 
from a great collection of statistical documents, that winter and spring are 
the seasons of greatest mortality in the north and center of Europe. In the 
south, on the contrary, summer and autumn are the most destructive seasons ; 
but marsh miasm where it exists, transforms the period and character of the 
mortality. The same influence, as M. Simmoneau has shown, is the great ob- 
struction to the acclimatization of Europeans in hot climates. It is to the 
perfect drainage of the soil that our efforts must be directed in both cases. 



DISINFECTANTS-HOW TO PREPARE AND USE THEM. 

Fresh Air and Sunlight. — First and always let in fresh air and sun- 
light, that they may purify every place they can reach. Open and dry all 
cellars and vaults, and keep the grounds and surfaces about dwellings as dry 
and clean as possible. Sedulously cultivate habits of the strictest cleanliness 
in person, clothing and habitation, indoor and out ; as well in the cellar as in 
the parlor ; as well in the darkest closet as in the hall ; not neglecting a cor- 
ner or a crevice in the whole building, keeping an eye to one point always, 
that wherever there is dampness there is disease, and that moral purity and 
filth in any form are absolutely incompatible. 

Water. — We have already seen the value of water as an absorbent and 
disinfectant. Dishes of water may be placed in any place required. Care 
fhould l.« used to remove the water frequently. Cold water is better than 



Disinfectants. 127 

warm for this purpose. A pailful of water in a freshly-painted room will 
of .en remove the sickening odor of the paint. Try it. 

Charcoal. — Powdered charcoal is one of the best of disinfectants. It is 
very prompt in absorbing affluvia and gaseous bodies, as well as rendering 
harmless and even useful those bodies which are easily changed. Charcoal 
powder has long been used as a filter for putrid w^ater. When the impurities 
aie absorbed they come in contact with condensed oxygen gas, which exists 
In the pores of all charcoal which has been exposed to the air, and in this 
way become oxidized and destroyed. A layer of pulverized charcoal will 
prevent the escape of all offensive odor from any decomposing substance. 

Charcoal and Lime. — These may be mixed with notable advantage in 
many cases. This compound is known in the shops as ** Calx powder." It ia 
useful in absorbing putrid gases. Use it dry and fresli. 

Clay. — For many purposes dry clay is not only the cheapest bu t the best 
deodorant. It destroys or absorbs the foul odors, instead of partially over- 
coming them by substituting chlorine or coal tar in their place. The presence 
of clay has a great influence upon the health of communities. There are 
oftener cases of typhoid fever and dysentery on a sandy or alluvial soil than 
on a clay soil. This is probably owing to the fact that the water used is 
made pure by filtering through the clay soil, while in passing through sandy 
soil it retains to some extent its impurities, or adds to them.* 

Quicklime and Gypsum. — Quicklime and gypsiim or land-plaster are 
good absorbents, and may be used advantageously in damp places, cellars, 
gutters, etc. They should not, however, be used in drains, catch-basins, 
sewers, soil-pipes, etc. ; nor where they are liable to be washed into such 
places, lest they, by decomposing soap-water, form lime-soap, and obstru<^t 
the passages. 

Sifted Ashes are very useful in country water-closets, where they way 
be scattered as often as any odor is perceptible. 

Surface Soil. — Any surface soil or mold pulverized forms a convenient 
and effective absorbent and deodorizer for use in out-houses. The fresh dug 
earth is the best. It should be used in the same manner as above noted in 
the case of clay. 

Fresh Stone-lime. — To absorb moisture and putrid fluids use frc^a 
stone-lime finely broken ; sprinkle it on the place to be dried, and !n damp 
rooms place a number of plates or pans filled with the lime powder. 

Copperas. — Common copperas, called sulphate of iron, in its crude state 

* There is another advantage in the country in us^ng' cl.ay for privies. The remova{ of 
the contents is no longer a disgusting operation, wM^ the former or gardener has a val 
uable supply of fertilizing material for his grounds.. 



128 Home and Health. 

can be purchased for five cents a pound ; this, dissolved in two gallons of 
water, and thrown over ill-smelling places, is one of the cheapest, simplest, 
and most convenient deodorizers, and is applicable to privies, sinks, gutters, 
and heaps of offal. 

Chloride of Lime. — To give off chlorine, to absorb putrid effluvia, and 
to stop putrefaction, use chloride of lime ; and if in cellars or close rooms 
the chlorite gas is wanted, pour strong vinegar or diluted sulphuric acid upon 
plates of chloride of lime occasionally, and add more of the chloride. We 
have known a large manufactory filled with deadly sewage air cleansed in 
a single half houi by throwing a half bushel of chloride of lime into the 
vaults from whic'" the poisonous gas emanated. Chloride of lime is often 
deleterious in close dwellings because of the chlorine evolved. It may be 
used safely in the open atmosphere. 

Salt and Lime Paste. — A cheap and available disinfectant and deodor- 
izer is made by dissolving a bushel of salt in a barrel of water ; then adding 
enough unslacked, that is, fresh lime, which has never been exposed to damp- 
ness, to make the whole into a thin paste, to be applied as often as necessary 
to all places yielding offensive smells, such as gutters, sinks, cesspools, etc. 
This is home-made chloride of lime. 

Carbolic Acid. — A weak solution of carbolic acid may be used in saucers, 
or shallow earthen dishes ; or a cloth saturated with it may be hung in the 
room where the offensive odor is suspected. In large cities the streets in the 
most densely populated wards have been watered on alternate days with a 
weak solution of carbolic acid with excellent results. There is no doubt that 
this excellent antiseptic and disinfectant has been very beneficial. The in- 
habitants of those streets have often expressed satisfaction at the freshness 
and removal of disagreeable smells which this acid produces, and thoy re- 
gard it as an addition to their comfort. 

Salt and Nitrate of Lead. — Dissolve half a dram of nitrate of lead 
in a pint of boiling water, and two drams of common salt in a pail of water ; 
then mix the two solutions and allow the sediment to settle. A cloth dipped 
/n the liquid and hung up in the apartment is all that is required to purify 
the most fetid atmosphere. It is recommended for its cheapness, a pound of 
the materials costing about twenty-five cents. One pound of nitrate of lead, 
dissolved in a pailful of water, is excellent for sinks, sink-drains and vaults. 

" Disinfecting Mixture." — Common salt, three ounces ; black manganese, 
oil of vitriol, of each one ounce ; water, two ounces. Carry this mixture in 
a cup through the apartments of the sick. 

General Disinfecting Compound. — For general disinfection the following 
compound is available and valuable, and far better than most of the patented 



Disinfectants, 129 

articles offered : Sulphate of iron, (copperas,) forty pounds ; sulphatt of lime, 
(gypsum or plaster,) fifty pounds; sulphate of zinc, (white vitriol,) seven 
pounds ; powdered charcoal, two pounds. Mix well and scatter dry, or wet 
/t in small quantities and make into balls ready for use. Where a liquid ia 
needed, stir in water in the proportion of a pound of the powder or ball to a 
gallon of water, and sprinkle where needed. 

Coffee as a Disinfectant. — Experiments with roasted coffee prove it to 
be a powerful means of rendering harmless and destroying animal and ve^j;- 
etable effluvia. A room in which meat in an advanced state of decomposition 
has been kept can be instantly deprived of all smell by simply carrying 
through it a coffee roaster containing a pound of newly-roasted coffee. The 
best mode of using the coffee is to dry the raw bean, pound it in a mortar ; 
and then roast the powder on a moderately heated iron plate, until it becomes 
a dark brown color. Then sprinkle it in sinks and cesspools, or expose it on 
a plate in the room to be purified. 

Sunflowers as Disinfectants. — Experiments in France and Holland have 
shown that sunflowers, when planted on an extensive scale, will neutralize 
the pernicious effects of exhalations from marshes. This plan has been 
tried with great success in the fenny districts near Rochef ort, France ; and 
the authorities of Holland assert that intermittent fever has wholly disap- 
peared from districts where the sunflowers have been planted. It is not yet 
determined what effect the flower produces on the atmosphere — whether it 
generates oxygen, like other plants of rapid growth, or whether, like the 
coniferoe, it emits ozone, and thus destroys the organic germs of miasms that 
produce fever. 

Boiling for Infected Clothing. — When foul clothing or infected things 
can be boiled, or have a boiling heat steadily applied and kept up for an 
hour, this is one of the simplest and best modes of disinfection. But until 
Buch high heat is actually applied to the infected things, some one of the 
disinfecting solutions must be used. A common steam tub, in a laundry or 
elsewhere, with a tight cover, is a good disinfecting vat. The clothing must 
be thrown into the water at boiling heat, and that temperature should be 
kept up for an hour. 

Soaking for Foul Clothing. — Soiled, impure garments may be put to 
soak in a half pound of sulphate of zinc (white vitriol) to three gallons of 
water. It will not stain or discolor most fabrics. One ounce of chloride of 
lead dissolved in a pint of hot water, and then a pailful of water added, into 
which a handful of common salt has been thrown, serves a similar purpose ; 
also a half ounce of permanganate of potash to a gallon of water. 
. Boiling after Disinfection. — Permanganate of potassa may be used in 
disinfecting clot^-ing and towels from cholera and fever patients during the 
9 



130 Home and IIeai/ih. 

night, or when such articles cannot be instantly boiled. Throw the soiled 
articles immediately into a tub of water, in which there has been dissolved 
an ounce of the permanganate salt to every three gallons of water. Boil 
tie clothing as soon as it is removed from this colored solution. 

Carbolic Acid for Clothing. — Carbolic acid, when used to disinfect 
clothing, should be of good quality, thoroughly mixed with its own quantity 
of strong vinegar, and next be dissolved in two hundred times its own quan- 
tity of water before the clothing is immersed in it. This mixture with vin- 
egar insures such complete solution of the carbolic acid that the clothing 
will not be " burned " by undissolved drops of acid when disinfected in the 
carbolic water. This weak solution — 1 part to 200 — will not injure common 
clothing. But to destroy clothing as well as infection, instantly, use the acia 
diluted only 10 to 30 times its quantity of water. The disinfecting and an- 
tiseptic power of good carbolic acid is so great that 1 partto 50 or 100 parts 
of water is sufficient for ordinary purposes. For drains, sewers, foul heaps, 
stables, and privies, the cheap "dead oil" of coal tar, or the crude carbolic 
acid, answers every purpose when freely applied. Coal tar itself is available 
as a disinfectant to paint upon the walls of stables, privy vaults, and drains. 
By mixing with sawdust or dry lime, coal or crude acid may be used on foul 
grounds or heaps of refuse. 

How to Fumigate Rooms. — To fumigate and cleanse the air of an 
apartment, there is no more simple way than to heat a common iron shovel 
quite hot, and pour vinegar slowly upon it. The steam arising from this pro- 
cess is pungent, and of a disinfectant character. Open windows and doors 
at the same time. 

Another way is to fumigate with sulphurous acid, thus : Arrange to vacate 
the room for twelve hours. Close every window and aperture, and, upon an 
iron pipkin or kettle with legs, burn a few ounces of sulphur. Instantly 
after kindling it, every person must withdraw from the place, and the room 
must remain closed for the succeeding eight hours. 

If any other kind of fumigation is resorted to, as that by chlorine, bro- 
mine, or nitrous acid, a sanitary officer or chemist should superintend the 
process. Fumigation should be resorted to in dwelling-houses only by official 
orders or permission, as the disinfecting gases are very poisonous. 

To Disinfect Water-closets. — To disinfect a water-closet or a quantity 
of earth that is contaminated by cholera excrement, or liable to be infected, 
use solution of cai'bolic acid and copperas, mixed, as follows: To every 
cubic foot of soil or filth give from one to three pints of the strong solution. 
To every privy and water-closet allow at the rate of one pint, to be poured 
in daily at evening, for every person on the premises. This practice should 
be kept up while cholera is in the country. This method of systematic dis 



Disinfectants. 131 

infection would be useful in everY household ; but when cholera is present in 
any city or country, such thorougn application of this means of protection 
cannot be safely neglected in any city or place to which persons may come 
from towns where cholera is epidemic. The best sanitary chemists advise 
that the estimated quantity of these privy and sewer disinfectants required 
for each person daily, in the presence of cholera, should be half an ounce 
sulphate of iron, and half a dram or half a teaspoonful of carbolic acid. 

To Disinfect Dead Bodies. — All chances of infection will be prevented 
and all effluvia destroyed from dead bodies by wrapping them in sheets satu- 
raUi with a solution of carbolate of camphor. 

Comparative Permanent Value of Different Disinfectants. — Owing to 
its cheapness, the impure sulphate of iron, ordinarily known as copperas, {green 
vitriol,) ig the most available chemical disinfectant for sewage, outhouses, 
etc. Tbe common mistake is in not_^ using it in sufficient quantity. Its value 
does no . rest, it must be remembered, upon theory only, but also upon experi- 
ment, in February, 1873, Albert Eckstein published an account of his at- 
tempts to disinfect an outhouse which was used daily by one hundred persons, 
and the results are so interesting that they are here transcribed : — 

1. Two pounds of sulphate of iron in solution. After from two to three 
hours all bad smell had disappeared, but in twelve hours all the influence of 
the disinfectant was lost, 

2. Sulphate of copper, {blue vitriol,) in solution, the same. 

3. Two pounds of sulphate of iron in crystals ; its effect lasted two 
days. 

4. Sulphate of copper, the same. " 

5. Sulphurous acid in solution rapidly lost its effect, and was exceedingly 
irritating to the respiratory organs. 

6. Two pounds of impure carbolic acid filled the house for two days with 
such a disagreeable smell, that it was impossible to tell whether the original 
odor was destroyed or covered up. 

7. Two pounds of sulphate of iron in a parchment sack exerted a disin- 
fecting influence for full three days, and when the parchment sack was drawn 
up it contained only some dirty, odorless fluid. 

8. Two pounds of the best chloride of calcium in the parchment sack dis* 
nfeeted the outhouse for at least nine days. 

In conclusion, to sum up the points* 

1, It is usele<is to attempt to permanently disinfect the atmospliere, and, 
therefore, gn «"., '.are should be exercised to destroy, as far as possible, the 
poison -germs so soon as they leave the body. 

2. Copperas is the most available disinfectant for ordinary purposes ; ia 
certain cases, (chiefly for water-closets,) chloride of calcium is very good. 



132 Home and Health. 

3. Carbolic acid, on account of its odor, is very disagreeable ; f \»rther, it is 
not so efficient as some other substances. For the purpose of killing disease- 
germs, and for the purifying of cholera discharges, copperas in solution or 
powder is to be preferred. 

Caution in Removing Foul Air from Wells. — It is well known that 
many accidents occur to persons going down into wells to clean them, owing 
to the noxious gas in such places. To remove the gas before descent is made 
in any well, a quantity of burned but unslaked lime should be thrown down. 
This, when it comes in contact with whatever water is below, sets free a great 
Quantity of h'eat in the water and lime, which rushes upward, carrying all 
the deleterious gas with it, after which the descent may be made with perfect 
safety. The lime also absorbs carbonic acid in the well. Always lower 
a light before descending ; if it is extinguished there is still danger of suf- 
focation. 

Precautions in Visiting Infected Rooms. — When the great philan- 
thropist Howard was asked what precautions he used to preserve himself from 
infection in the prisons, hospitals, and dungeons which he visited, he re- 
sponded with his pen as follows : — 

" I here answer once for all that, next to the free goodness and mercy of 
the Author of my being, temperance a7id cleanliness are my preservatives. 

*' Trusting in Divine Providence, and believing myself in the way of duty, 
I visit the most noxious cells, and while thus employed / fear no evil. 

" I never enter a hospital or prison before breakfast ; and 

" In an offensive room I seldom draw my breath deeply." 

No better precautions than these need be given. The answer of Howard 
should be indelibly impressed on every memory. 

Heat and Steam. — Heat has long been known as among the most effi- 
cient of disinfectants. And the use of steam, as a facile means of commu- 
nicating it, against yellow fever especially, was effectually demonstrated af 
long ago as 1848. Since that time, in addition to the common use of stean 
for the disinfection of vessels, it has been extensively used for the disinfec 
tion of personal clothing and bedding, and to this end steam disinfecting 
chambers, abroad, at least, have long since ceased to be a novelty. The first 
one constructed in this country was in connection with the New York Quar- 
antine hospitals, where it continues to be a prominent feature. 

A New Disinfectant. — Dr. John Day, of Geelong, Australia, reccra- 
mends for use in civil and military hospitals, and also for the purpose of 
destroying the poison germs of small-pox, scarlet fever, and other infecticus 
diseases, a disinfectant, ingeniously composed of one part of rectified oil of 
turpentine and seven parts of benzine, with the addition of five drops of oil of 
verbena to eich oimce. Its purifying and disinfecting properties are due to 



Disinfectants. 133 

the power which is possessed by each of its ingredients of absorbing atmos- 
pheric oxygen, and converting it into peroxide of hydrogen — a highly-active 
oxidizing agent, and very similar in its nature to ozone. Articles of cloth- 
ings furniture, wall paper, carpeting, books, newspapers, lettijrs, etc., may be 
[perfectly saturated with it without receiving the slightest injury ; and when 
it has been once freely applied to any rough or porous surface, its action will 
\w. persistent fur an almost indefinite period. This may, at any time, be read- 
ily shown by pouring a few drops of a solution of iodide of potassium ovoi 
the material which has been disinfected, when the peroxide of hydrogen 
which is being continually generated wjthin it, will quickly liberate the io- 
dine from its combinat'on with the potassium, and give rise to dark brown 
Btains.* 



SUNLIGHT AND HEALTH. 

Power of Sunlight. — Sunlight is one of the most powerful forces in na- 
ture, l<indling the whole vegetable world into being, and making animal life 
possible by its extraordinary chemical agency. 

Seclusion from Sunshine. — Seclusion from sunshine is one of the great 
misfortunes of our civilized life. The same cause which makes the potato 
vines white and sickly when grown in dark cellars, operates to produce the 
pale, sickly girls that are reared in our parlors. Expose either to the rays of 
the sun, and tliey begin to show color, health, and strength. 

Philosophy of the Influence of Sunlight. — Recent discoveries seem to 
[)rove that there is conveyed to animals, by the direct action of the sun's rays, 
a subtle current of iron. It does not exist in light, or but very slightly, if at 
all, but it is a part of the sun's rays. Therefore, we must enjoy these rays if 
we would feel their full effect. This iron it is which is supposed to give color 
to plants and animals, and to impart strength and beauty. With strength 
and beauty come health and good spirits, and despondency and fear are 
banished. 

Sunlight and Plants. — It is well known that no valuable plant can grow 
well without beim; visited by the direct rays of the sun; no plant can bear 
Beed, no fruit can ripen without it. Any vine grown in the dark is white and 
Btrengthless. Grass, grain, and flowers do not thrive under the shadow of a 
tree. 

Sunlight and Domestic Animals. — It is Avell known that no valuable 
domestic animals can thrive without being visited often by the sunshine. The 
fish of the Mammoth Cave are white ; their eyes are not opened, because they 

* British Medical Journal 



134 Home and Health. 

have never felt the glorious light ; they are weak and imperfect, a kind of 
idiots, if fish are liable to that wretchedness. 

Swine which are shut under the farmers' barns, and where every thing is 
favorable except the lack of sunshine, do not thrive as well as those whicii 
have the ordinary run in the open air. 

Cows and horses stalled continuously in dark stables become feeble and 
u» healthy, and become useless in less than half the time of those Ahici run 
in the open air, or whose stalls permit them to enjoy the influence of the suu 
light. The same is true of all other domestic animals. 

Dr. Ellsworth, of Hartford, says : " Take a rabbit and shut him from the 
sunlight, and he will die of consumption in a few weeks. The tubercles will 
te just as perfectly formed in his lungs as in the human species, and the 
symptoms in every respect will be the same." 

Sunlight and Human Life. — Sir James Wylie says that, " The cases 
of disease ou the dark side of an extensive barrack at St. Petersburgh, have 
been uniformly, for many years, in the proportion of three to one to those on 
the side exposed to strong light." 

Dr. Forbes Winslow in his volume entitled " Light, its Influence on Life 
and Health," uses the following language : " It may be enunciated as an in- 
disputable fact, that all who live and pursue their calling in situations where 
the minimum of light is permitted to penetrate, suffer seriously in bodily and 
mental health. The total exclusion of the sunbeam induces the severer forms 
of chlorosis, green sickness, and other anaemic conditions depending upon an 
impoverished and disordered state of the blood. Under these circumstances 
the face assumes a death-like paleness, the membranes of the eyes become 
bloodless, and the skin shrunken and turned into a white, greasy, waxy color; 
also emaciation, muscular debility and degeneration, dropsical effusion, soft- 
ening of the bones, general nervous excitability, morbid irritability of the 
heart, loss of appetite, tendency to syncope and hemorrhages, consumption, 
physical deformity, stunted growth, mental impairment, and premature old 
age. The offspring of those so unhappily trained are often deformed, weak, 
and puny, and are disposed to scrofulous affections." 

Another Testimony. — " It is a well-established fact that, as the effect 
of isolation from the stimulus of light, the fibrine, albumen, and red blood- 
cells become diminished in quantity, and the serum or watery portion of the 
rital fluid augmented in volume, thus inducing a disease known to physicians 
and pathologists by the name of lukcemia, an affection in which white instead 
of red blood-cells are developed. This exclusion from the sun produces the 
sickly, flabby, pale, anaemaic condition of the face or exsanguined, ghost-like 
forms rio often seen among those not exposed to air and light. The absence 
of these elements of health deteriorates by materially altering the physical 



Sunlight am,a Health, 135 

composition of the blood, thus seriously prostrating the vital strength, en- 
feebling the nervous energy, and ultimately inducing organic changes in the 
structure of the heart, brain, and muscular tissue." — Dr. Forbes Winslow. 

Sunlight and Miners. — The lack of pure light and pure air in mines 
tells seriously upon the health of miners, "Fourcault affirms that where life 
is prolonged to the average term, the evil effects of the want of light are 
seen in the stunted forms and general deterioration of the human race. It 
appears that the inhabitants of the arrondissement of Chimay, in Belgium, 
three thousand in number, are engaged partly as coal miners, and partly as 
field laborers. The latter are robust, and readily supply their proper numocr 
of recruits to the army ; while among the miners it is in most years impossi- 
ble to find a man who is not ineligible from bodily deformity or arrest of 
physical development." — Forbes Winslovv's Influence of lAght. 

Paralysis Cured by Sunshine. — One of the ablest lawyers in our coun- 
try, writes a physician, a victim of long and hard brain labor, came to me a 
year ago suffering from partial paralysis. The right leg and hip were reduced 
in size, with constant pain in the loins. He was obliged, in coming upstairs, 
to lift up the left foot first, dragging the right foot after it. Pale, feeble, 
miserable, he told me he had been failing for several years, and closed with 
" My work is done. At sixty I find myself worn out." I directed him to lie 
down under a large window, and allow the sun to shine on every part of his 
body ; at first ten minutes a day, increasing the time until he could expose 
himself to the direct rays of the sun for a full hour. His habits were not 
essentially altered in any other particular. In six months he came running 
upstairs like a vigorous man of forty, and declared, with sparkling eyes, " 1 
have twenty years more of work in me." 

Neuralgic, Rheumatic, and Hypochondriac Cures by Sunshine. — 
Writes the same physician quoted above : " I have assisted many dyspeptic, 
neuralgic, rheumatic, and hypochondriacal people into health by the sun cure. 
I have so many facts illustrating the wonderful power of the sun's direct 
rays in curing certain classes of invalids, that I have seriously thought of 
publishing a work to be denominated the ' Sun Cure.' " 

Florence Nightingale on Sunlight. — " Who has not observed the puri- 
fying effect of light," says Florence Nightingale, " and especially of direct 
sunlight upon the air of a room ? Go into a sick room where the shutters 
are always shut, (in a sick room or bed-chamber tliere should nev ir be shut- 
ters shut,) and, though the room has never been polluted by the bieathing of 
human beings, you will observe a close, musty smell of corrupt air, i. e., un- 
purified by the effect of the sun's rays. The mustiness of dark rooms aud 
corners, 'ndeed, is proverbial. The cheerfulness of a room, the usefulness 
of light in treating disease, is all-important. ' Where tkere is sun there is 



136 Home awd Health. 

thought.' All physiology goes to confirm this. Where is the shady side ol 
deep valleys, there is cretinism. Where are cellars and the unsunned side? 
of narrow streets, there is the degeneracy and weakliness of the human race, 
mind and body equally degenerating. Put the pale, withering plant and hu- 
man being into the sun, and if not too far gone, each will recover healtii 
and spirit." — Notes on Nursing. 

Sunlight Shut Out by Parasols. — Many persons keep themselves palt 
and sickly by means of parasols, umbrellas, shaded rooms, and indooi life 
generally. Parasols should be dispensed with excepting in the hottest sea- 
sons. Sailors who are ever in the pure air and sunlight, and children who 
play much out of doors, generally present a ruddy, healthy appearance. The 
following severe cut on our American house-keepers, from an editorial of a 
Chicago daily, is well merited : " In this country there seems to be an impla- 
cable feud between people and the sun — the one striving vigorously and even 
fiercely to get into the houses, and the other striving just as fiercely and vig- 
orously to keep him out. The average American house-keeper does not think 
she has fulfilled her whole duty until she has made the rounds of the whole 
household, shut all the doors, closed all the shutters, and drawn all the cur- 
tains on the east and south sides of the house. This is the morning's job. 
In the afternoon she makes the same grand round on the west side of the 
house. She is not quite happy and contented until tlie sun has gone down 
and darkness sets in. She is substantially aided in her raid against the sun- 
light by the heaviest of shades, curtains, and lambrequins. Thus the fight 
goes on day by day, and season by season. In summer she shuts out the sun 
because it is too hot. In winter she shuts it out because it will spoil her car- 
pets. In spring and fall she has other reasons. She has reasons for all 
seasons. Thus she keeps the house in perpetual shade, in which the children 
grow up sickly, dwarfed, full of aches and pains, and finally have to be sent 
off into the country post-haste so that they may get into that very sunlight 
which they have been denied at home, and in which the country childr»m run 
and are glorified." 

The Sunlight and Blinds. — " I wish God had never permitted man to 
invent ' green blinds,' " said a thoughtful and brilliant woman. Why did she 
say it? Because she saw, wherever she went over our fair and simshiny 
land, that green blinds were closely shut upon our comfortable houses, ex- 
cluding the sun's light, which we may be sure God sends down for some 
blessed purpose. That blessed purpose is to promote growth, to give strength, 
to impart color, to gild with beauty, to inspire good thoughts, and to insure 
light hearts and cheerful faces. 

Sunlight and Carpets. — " Do not be afraid of a little sunshine, either," 
wrote another excellent authority on healthful housekeeping. "It may ij» 



Sunlight and Health. 



-O k 



crease your color, but a nut-like brownness is more becoming to a woman's 
face than the deathly whiteness of the lily. Sunshine is quite as good in its 
way as fresh air, and it should come into every room in the house. Does it 
fade the carpet ? Then spread down a rug or a piece of drugget. A better 
way is to select colors that will not run away from the sunshine. For bed- 
rooms Canton matting is good. It will not fade ; it is easily swept ; it will 
not hold dust readily, nor contract bad smells; it can be taken up anCk 
cleaned, and the floor washed every month if desired. I like painted floors, 
too, and, better still, I like the hard wood inlaid floors. Rugs may be placed 
where wanted to stand upon. It is said that the French very seldom carpet 
a v/hole house, and laugh at the idea as a New World notion. True, " French" 
is out of fashion now, but I take a good thing wherever I find it, put my own 
common sense to it, which I am obliged to do in order to make it serve me 
harmoniously, and then make the most of it." 

Give the Children Sunshine. — Children need sunshine quite as much 
as flowers do. Half an hour is not enough. Several hours are required. 
The most beautiful flowers that ever studded a meadow could not be made 
half so beautiful without days and days of the glad light that streams through 
space. Light for children. Sunshine for the little elves that gladden ihrs 
otherwise gloomy earth. Deal it out in generous fullne.'e. to them. Let the 
nursery be in the sunshine. Better plant roses on the dark side ol an ice- 
berg than rear babies and children in rooms and alleys stinted of the light 
that makes life. 

" Yes, mothers," writes an intelligent friend from the country, " give your 
children the sunshine. You could not give them a gift which would cost you 
ess, nor yet one qualified to profit them more. It will make them what we 
in the country call tough and hardy. They require sunshine just as much as 
plants do. All scientific persons are now united in this decision. The world 
is full of delicate and weakly women, and, my word for it, more of the cause 
lies in an effort on our part to make ' fair ' ladies of our daughters than in 
any thing else." 

Sunlight in the School-Room. — Dr. Andrew AVinter, in the Pall Mcdl 
Gazette, London, says : " Wl^en the St. Martin National School, leading out of 
Endell-street was built some years ago, we noticed with pleasure that a play- 
ground was built at the top of the school, where light and air was plentiful. 
The necessity of light for young children is not half appreciated. Many of 
the affections of children, and nearly all the cadaverous looks of those 
brought up in great cities, are ascribable to this deficiency of light and air. 
When we see the glass-rooms of the photographers in every street, high up 
on the top-most story, we grudge them in their application to a mere personal 
vanity. Why should not our nurseries be constructed in the same manner f 
If mothers knew the value of light to the skin in childhood, especially to the 



138 Home and Health. 

children of a scrofulous tendency, we should have plenty of these glass-house 
nurseries, where children may run about in a proper temperature, free of much 
of that clothing which at present seals up the skin — that great supplementary 
lung — to sunlight and oxygen." 

The " Solaries " of the Ancients. — The ancients often had terraces, 
called solaries, built on the tops of their houses, where they were in the habit 
of taking their solar air baths. Pliny says that, for six hundred years Rome 
had no physicians. Using such natural methods of retaining or gaining phys- 
ical power as vapor baths, manipulation, sunlight, exercise, etc., they became 
the mightiest of nations. By this remark I throw out no slur against true 
and wise physicians, who are a blessing to the community, but would call their 
attention ) lore to nature's finer methods rather than to the use of so many 
diugs blisters, moxas, bleedings, leechings, and other violent processes which 
so weaken and destroy the beautiful temple of the human body. 

Sunlight and Digestion — An Illustration.* — Very intimate relations 
exist -between the sun and digestion. Digestion and assimilation becomes 
weak and imperfect if the man or animal is not daily exposed to the direct 
rays of the sun. Mr. P., one of our merchants, came to see me about hla 
stomach. Dyspepsia was written all over his face, was shown in his move- 
ments, and heard 'n his voice. The conversation between us was essentially 
as follows : — 

Mr. P. " Doctor, if you will excuse a street vulgarity, I am ' played out.' 
I can't digest, I can't work, I have lost my courage, I feel I must stop." 

" Tell me about your diet." 

" If you will excuse me, I know that is all right. I have studied the iub- 
ject, and I know my food is all right." 

" How about your exercise ? " 

*' I have a little gymnasium in my store, and exercise an hour or two every 
day. I sometimes tire myself out with these exercises." 

" How about your sleep ? " 

*' Why, Doctor, I go to bed with the chickens. At any rate I am always in 
bed by nine o'clock, and I rise by six o'clock in the morning, take a bath, a 
plain breakfast, and go to my counting-room. Qnce in the forenoon, and 
once in the afternoon, I exercise in my gymnasium half an hour or so, but I 
am getting worse all the time. Isn't it curious ? " My wife thinks I must 
have a cancer in the stomach. Nothing seems to help me. I live the most 
physiological life, but my digestion grows worse and worse." 

*' About your counting-room ; is that light ? is it sunny ? " 

" No, that is one nuisance we have in our store. The store is every way 

* N-anated by Dr. Dio Lewis, in Talks about Peojile's fHomjiahn. 



Sunliglit and Health. 139 

pleasant, only that the counting-room is so dark, we have to use gas nearly 
all the time." 

" That's it, Mr. P., that explains your cancer." 

" Of course, you don't mean that ; but I suppose it would be better if the 
counting-room was sunny." 

" Why, Mr. P., no plant or animal can digest in the dark. Try it. Plant 
a potato in your cellar. Now watch it carefully. If there is a little light, 
that potato will sprout and try to grow. But surround it with the best ma- 
nure, water it, do the best you can for it, only keep it in the dark, it cannot 
digest and grow. See how slender and pale it is. Now open a window in an- 
other part of the cellar, and notice how the poor hungry thing will stretch 
that way. Or give the stalk a little twist, and see how it will lie down. It 
has no strength to raise itself again. No matter how much of the best food 
and drink you give it, it can't digest. The process of digestion, the great 
function of assimilation, can't go on without the sunshine. Why, Sir, M'ith 
your excellent habits, if your counting-room were in a flood of sunlight, you 
would be better in a week, and well in a month. Mr. P., did you ever go into 
the country late in the summer ? Of course you have been. Well, did you 
never notice, where grain is growing in orchards, that the part under the trees 
is smaller than that outside and away from the trees ? The land is actually 
richer there. For years the leaves have fallen and decayed, but notwithstand 
ing this, the wheat is only half size, and never fills well. Now, what is the 
difficulty ? The sun shines upon it more or less. Yes, that is true, but that 
under the trees does not receive as much sunshine as that away from them. 
That which is thus partly in the shade, can't digest so well. Why, Sir, if you 
will move your counting-room upstairs, in front, and stand where the sun 
can have a chance at you, even though it is only three or four hours a day, 
you will begin to digest your beef better within three days. Have you ever 
noticed that the only grapes that become perfectly ripe and sweet ; that the 
only peaches that take on those beautiful red cheeks, and offer that luscious 
sweetness, are those that are on the outside, entirely uncovered by the leaves, 
and perfectly exposed to the sun ? God's laws are the same in the animal 
world. It is just as true, the only girls with red cheeks and sweet breaths, 
the only girls who become fully ripe and sweet, are those who baptize them- 
selves freely in God's glorious sunshine. Don't you see a good many pale 
girls in your store, girls with a bloodless, half-baked sort of face, whose walk- 
tag, whose voice, whose whole expression, is devoid of spirit and force ? 
fhose girls are in the green state. Look at their lips and cheeks ; they are 
Qot half ripe. Send them out in the country, let them throw away their par- 
asols, put on their little jockey hats, and live out in the sunshine three months, 
and I would give more for one of them in any work requiring soul and spirit, 
(han for a dozen of those pale things that live in the shade. A pale woman ! 
5he makes a very good ghost, but not much of a woman." 



140 



Home and Health. 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE HUMAN EYE. 

The essential parts of the eye are inclosed in a tough outer coat, the 
sclerotic, to which the muscles moving it are attached, and which in front 
changes into the transparent cornea. A little way oft" the cornea the 
crystalline lens is suspended, dividing the eye into two unequal cavities; 
a smaller one in front, filled with a watery fluid, tlie aqueous humor. The 
sclerotic is lined with a highly pigmented membrane, the choroid, and this 
in turn is lined in the back half of the eyeball with the nearly transparent 
retina, in which the fibers of the optic nerve ramify. The choroid in front 
is continuous with the iris, which has a contractile opening in the center, the 





Tbb Eyv. 



MUSCLEB OF THE EYE-BALt. — 1 Muscle 

ot the upper lid. 2. Muscles of the balU 
3. Optic nerve. 




Eye.. 



Horizontal Section of Right Human Eye-ball, 
SEEN FROM ABOVE.— tt, b. Conjunctiva ; c. Cornea ; 
d, Sclerotic ; e, Choroid ; /, Ciliary Muscle ; g. Ciliary 
Process ; h. Iris ; i. Suspensory Ligament : k. Poste- 
rior Aqueous Chamber between // and i ; I, Anterior 
Aqueous Chamber ; m. Crystalline Lens ; n. Vitreous 
Humor ; o, Retina ; p. Yellow Spot ; Q. Center of 
Blind Spot ; r, Artery of Retina in the center of the 
Optic Nerve. 



pupil, admitting light to the lens which brings the rays to the focus and 
forms an image upon the retina, which light, falling upon deheate structures 
called rods and cones, causes them to stimulate the fibers of the optic nerve 
to transmit visual impressions to the brain. 

How We See. — The eye is like the camera with which a photographer 
takes pictures. The lens is like the glass lens in the end of the tube. The 
lining of the cavity of the eyeball is colored dark, like the inside of the box 
of the camera. The retina is like the sensitive plate which the photogra- 



Illustrations of the Hitman Eye. 141 

pher puts in just before lie takes the picture. The brain behind the eye is 
represented by the photographer himself looking through from behind his 
instrument. 

When we look at an object a picture of it is made on the retina. This 
picture can be seen by a skilllul observer looking into the eye with an in- 
strument called an ophthalmoscope. It may be seen by looking from be- 
hind through an eye taken from an animal just killed, as the photographer 
looks through his camera. 

The retina, which is the ending of the optic nerve, carries in to the brain 
the impression which makes the picture. It is not the eye that sees. If the 
optic nerve is cut off we do not see, although a picture will still be formed 
on the retina as before. It is the brain that sees. The eye is its instrument. 

Causes of Trouble in the Eye. — The eye is sometimes weak, and gets 
very tired and sore by use, simply because the whole body is weak. But 
generally when there is redness, swelling, or pain in the eye, tliere is some- 
thing wrong, in itself. It may be that the delicate lining of the lids, the 
conjunction, is inflamed, just as the linkjg of the throat is inflamed at times. 
The lids then feel rough, as if there were sand under them. 

Too Long Sight. — One of the commonest causes of aching eyes and head, 
after reading, is too long sight. When we look at a near object the shape 
of the lens is changed a little by an effort of the eye. Too long-sighted 
eyes have to make more effort to do this than eyes with natural sight. The 
strain tires and irritates them, and may make them very weak. This trouble 
can be entirely relieved by glasses. 

Too Short Sight. — Short-sighted persons do not commonly have aching 
and inflamed eyes. Their eyes do not have to make the effort that those 
of long-sighted people do to see near objects. Reading does not tire them. 
But siiort-sightedness is liable to increase. It makes tlie vision of every 
thing more than a few feet away indistinct. It may be remedied by glasses, 
but they are an inconvenient necessity. 

Too short sight is very common among students. It is found that when 
children begin to go to school few of tl-em are short-sighted. In c;ich 
higher class there are more short-sighted pupils, and the number increases 
so fast that we infer that there is something in the habits of school-children 
that makes tliem short-sighted. 

Causes of Too Short Sight. — If we inquire what this cause of short sight 
is, we find that it is not any one thing, but many things. Every thing that 
tires and strains the eyes of school ciiildren tends to make them short- 
sighted. Causes of short sight are: 1. Too much use of the eyes. 2. Bad 
light. 3. Wrong position when reading. 



142 Home and Health. 

Functions of the Iris. — The iris constitutes a diaphragm which regu- 
lates the amount of light entering the eyeball. Tiie aperture in the center, 
the pupil, may be dilated by contraction of a system of radiating fibers of 
involuntary muscle, or contracted by the action of another system of fibers 
forming a sphincter at the margin of the pupil. The radiating fibers arc 
controlled by the sympathetic, while those of the circular set are excited 
by the third cranial nerve. The variations in diameter of the pupil are 
determined by the greater or less intensity of the light acting on the retina. 
A strong light causes contraction of the pupil ; with light of less intensity 
the pupil dilates. In the human being, a strong light acting on one eye will 
often cause contraction of the pupils of both eyes. 

The pupil contracts under the influence : (1) Of an increased intensity of 
light ; (2) of the efi'ort of accommodation for near objects ; (3) of a strong 
convergence of the two eyes and (4) of such active substances as nicotine, 
morphia, and physostigmine. It dilates under the influence: (1) Of a 
diminished intensity of light ; (2) of vision of distant objects ; (3) of a 
strong excitation of any sensory nerve; (4) of dyspnoea; and (5) of such 
substances as atropine and hyoscyamine. The chief function of the iris is 
to so moderate the amount of light entering the. eye as to secure sharpness 
of definition of the retinal image. This it accomplishes by diminishing 
the amount of light reflected from near objects; by cutting off the more 
divergent rays and admitting only those approaching a parallel direction, 
which,' in a normal eye, are focused on the retina. 



CARE OF THE EYES. 

The eye is one of the most delicate and sensitive organs of the human 
body. It is most closely connected with the brain, and with the general sys- 
tem of civilization. It shares with the brain in all the various conditions of 
nervous excitement or depression, labor or repose. It is affected by all the 
obstructions and irregularities of the general circulation, and suffers, there- 
fore, from any injury or lack in the general health. 

Strange Neglect of the Eyes. It is a remarkable fact that this organ is 
more neglected than any other. " I have known," says a recent writer," * " fond 
and doting mothers take their children of four and five years of age to have 
their first teeth filled, instead of having them extracted, so that the jaw might 
not suffer in its due development, and become in later years contracted, while 
the eye, the most intellectual, the most apprehensive, and the most discrim- 
inating of all our organs, receives not even a passing thought, much less an 

• Harper's Magazine, ISW. 



Care of the Byes. 143 

examination. It never seems to occur to the parents that the principal 
agent in a child's education is the eye ; that through it it gains not only its 
sense of the methods and ways of existence of others, but even the means 
for the maintainance of its own ; nor does it occur to the parents for an in- 
stant that many of the mental as well as bodily attributes of a gro^ ing child 
are fashioned, even if they are not created, by the condition of the eye alone 
A child is put to school without the slightest inquiry on the part of the parent, 
and much less on the part of the teacher, whether it has the normal amount 
of sight ; whether it sees objects sharply and well defined or indistinctly and 
distorted ; whether it be near-sighted or far-sighted ; whether it sees with 
one or two eyes ; or, finally, if it does see clearly and distinctly, whether it is 
not using a quantity of nervous force sufficient after a time not only to ex- 
haust the energy of the visual organ, but of the nervous system at large." 

How the Eye is Kept Clean. — For us to be able to see objects clearly 
and distinctly, it is necessary that the eye should be kept clean. For this pur- 
pose it is furnished with a little gland, from which flows a watery fluid, (tears,) 
which is spread over the eye by the lid, and it is afterward swept off by it, 
and runs through a hole in the bone to the under surface of the nose, while 
the warm air, passing over it while breathing, evaporates it. It is remark- 
able that no such gland can be found in the eyes of fish, as the element in 
which they live answers the same purpose. If the eye had not been furnished 
with a liquid to wash it, and a lid to sweep it off, things would appear as they 
do when you look through a dusty glass. 

How the Eye is Protected from Irritation. — All along the edges of the 
eyelids there is a great number of little tubes or glands, from which flow an 
oily substance which spreads over the surface of the skin, and thus prevents 
the edges from being sore or irritated, and it also helps to keep tears within 
th.c lid. There are also six little muscles attached to the eye, which enable 
us to move it in every direction ; and when we consider the different motions 
they are capable of giving to the eye, we cannot but admire the goodness of 
Him who formed them, and thus saved us the trouble of turning our heads 
every time we wish to view an object. 

How to Improve the Eyelashes. — If the eyelashes be irregular or short, 
they can be lengthened by simply clipping the split ends once a month. 

Ladies in Oriental lands often resort to this method with invariable success. 

Over-straining the Eyes. — This is done by trying to read or work with 
partial or imperfect light. How common is our habit of using the eyes in 
the evening twilight and just before "lighting up." We desire to somplete 
some work, as writing, reading, or sewing, by daylight, and so exert 5urselve? 
with insufficient light. Every family should carefully guard against this. So 
also care should be used that there shall be sufficient light after nightfall 



ltl:4: Home ajstd Health. 

When needed for the comfort or convenience of the eyes, another candle, 
lamp, or gas-burner must be lighted. The extra cost to the person will be 
more than saved in the preservation of the sight. 

Eye-strain Sometimes the Cause of Headache. — Kecent experiments 
show what the earher physicians suspected, but could not demonstrate, that 
very troublesome headaches are sometimes the immediate res .il if straining 
the eyes. In order to test such cases. Dr. Wm. Thomson (Am. Journal oj 
Medical Science, 1870) recommends the use of "test disks." The simplest 
and most convenient one, that described by Dr. Mitchell as a piece of 
closely -perforated Bristol -board or card, may be made to answer as a quali- 
tative test. If we pierce m a card, close together, half a dozen pin holes, and 
view with one eye through these a tip of gas-jet or a small candle flame at 
least fifteen feet distant, if there be myopia or hypermatropia, the patient 
will see a number of points of light, while the perfect, normal eye will see 
but one. If the disordered eye be astigmatic, the multiplied images will be 
spread out laterally, if the defect be in the horizontal meridian, or will be at 
right angles to this if it be in the perpendicular meridian. Physicians out 
of reach of the resources of the great cities will find Dr. Thomson's test 
disks well worth learning to use. Without it or more complex means no 
one can feel sure that in any case of headache the cause may not be in the 
organs of vision. If found there, its treatment will be at once suggested. 

Danger of Too-Continuous Use. — Even when the light is abundant, the 
eye often wearies after continuous use for a few hours. Especially is this 
true after some physical debility. When such weariness arises work should 
be stopped for a time. A brief rest of the eyes will generally bring relief, 
and permit a renewal of the work without danger. It may be well to close 
the eyes for a little while, or to walk out and use the eyes on distant ob 
jects, or else so change the work in-doors for a little time as to lessen the 
fatigue. 

Proper Distance of the Object. — Great care should be used in holding 
the object at a proper distance from the eye. Generally, persons have the 
bad habit of lowering the head to the object. In most cases 12 inches 
should be the leant and about 20 inches the maximum distance for the book 
or work from the eye, in ordinary cases. Seats ought always to be so ad- 
justed to the height of tables or desks, that it shall not be necessary for 
persons to stoop over into a " rcund-shouldered " position in order to work 
or to read or write. 

Proper Quantity of Light. — It is well known that we cannot look at the 
sun with impunity. Even luminous objects, far less brilliant than the sun. 
cause a painful sensation when theii' rays strike directly upon the eye. The 
more uniformly the light is dispersed and the less directly its rays penetrate 



Ccvre of the Eyes. 145 

the eyi3, the mure beneficial is its action. The lyiiformly- dispersed daylight 
serves as the best example. Every violent and sudden contrast between 
light and darkness is disagreeable, and becomes injurious if frequently re- 
peated. Flickering light is likewise unpleasant and fatiguing. The simul- 
taneous action of luminous contrasts is also harmful. Such contrasts are 
j.roduced when a bright light is covered by a dark shade. The small space 
lighted ie intensified by the broad dark zone of shadow around it ; and under 
the influenco of such contrary states of illumination, the eyes are strained 
and so tire easily. A shade of ground glass or porcelain, covering the 
flame and causing a somewhat subdued but uniform illumination, is far 
preferable to a dark shade. In these materials we possess a powerful means 
of softening the dazzling light by dispersion of its rays. 

Best Direction of the Light. — The best authorities assure us that " sky- 
light," or light from above, is the best light for all work not requiring a 
Dcnt position of the head, and, therefore, deserves a far more general ap- 
plication in the construction of factories, work-shops, schools, and other 
buildings, or in the methods of artificial illumination. In writing or similar 
handwork the work should strike from the left side, in order to avoid the 
shadow cast by the right hand ; and in all cases it is far better that the 
light should come from above than from below. For this reason, those 
window-shades that raise and lower from the bottom, are preferable to the 
ordinary ones that are rolled at the top, or to the window-awnings that shut 
out the light of the sky, and admit it only from below. It is, therefore, 
important that parents and teachers in schools should also see to it that 
pupils do not study with the direct rays of the sunshine falling on the book, 
or desk, or floor, and that they do not, on the other hand, sit directly facing 
low windows, as the eyes become dazzled by either of these errors and in- 
jury may result. 

The Use of Colored Glasses. — When there is perceived any great sensi- 
tiveness of the eyes toward very bright or excessive light, toward white 
and reflecting objects of work, or toward the reflection of the sun-light from 
snow and other white surfaces, the use of spectacles with plain light-blue or 
gray (so-called London smoke) glasses is generally safe and a great relief 
and protection ; as it softens the painful brilliancy, without interfering with 
ready sight. Blue veils, to some extent, answer the same purpose as blue 
glasses. 

Relieving Near and Far-sightedness. — Near-sightedness is remedied by 
wearing concave glasses, and far-sightedness by convex glasses. Some think 
that by manipulation of the eyes, such as pressing them if too convex, and 
rubbing them up from the corners if too concave, will remedy the effect, but 
all this actic»n is not only useless, but also injurious. For the kind of glasses 
consult an optician, and for any defect r r disease of the eyes, consult an 
10 



146 Home and Health. 

oculist. The eye is too delicate an organ to be treated except by a skillful 
physician. 

Changing Sight not a Cause for Alarm. — As a rule the sight begins to 
fail about the fortieth year. The first sign is a disposition to hold things at a 
distance to see them well, as in reading. The circumstance may alarm a 
man, who may hastily infer that disease is surely upon him. Eyes are some- 
times put out by false notions with regard to this condition of the sight. 
Kesovt is had to artificial helps, as globes, manipulations, eye-washes, and 
perhaps salves. In the first place, the reader should ascertain whether his 
age is not the natural cause. He should then procure an eye-glass adapted 
to his sight in such a way that he can see easily and readily what he could 
not before. 

Use Glasses as Soon as Needed. — The opinion prevailmg with some that 
the early use of glasses is harmful " in the end," is erroneous. When eye- 
glasses will improve the sight, they should be worn ; any delay will be liable 
to injure the eyes by straining their already impaired power. Nearly all 
persons should use glasses to read with as soon as they begin to hold a book 
more than eight inches from the eyes. 

Double Glasses sometimes Useful. — A New York optician has suc- 
ceeded in helping eyesight wh^ch requires a very short focus. This he does 
by putting together two plane-convex lenses with their convex sights toward 
?.ach other. 

Squinting and its Remedy. — This painful affection of the eyes gen- 
erally appears about the fifth year, though sometimes as late as the eight- 
eenth. The former of these ages points to the methodical employment of 
the eyes upon near work, as in learning to read, etc. There are times in all 
cases of strabismus (squinting) when it is only observable during near 
vision ; and the squint alternates, as sometimes one eye is used, sometimes 
the other ; or one may be used for near, the other for distant sight. And 
soon the patient gets into the habit of using one eye only, and the one dis- 
used becoT^es less and less sensitive to the rays of light, until it is nearly or 
quite blind. Thus no further calls are made for exertion upon the ciliary 
muscle, the internal muscle relaxes, the external asserts itself; and the 
strabismus commences to disappear; but if the vision were now tested, the 
eye will be found blind. 

The obvious treatment for extreme strabismus is to prevent its confirma- 
tion by putting correcting glasses on the child while the sight is still good 
for distant vision. The objections often urged against the use of glasses by 
children — " risk of breakage " and " appearance " — are unworthy of answer. 
What is the temporary loss of a few cents, or of temporary change of the 
child's appearance, compared to a permanent loss of sight ! 



Care of the Eyes, 147 

A skillful surgeon will generally cure strabismus by cutting the ligamoiit 
which, by contraction, draws the eye out of place. The operation is neithei 
dangerous nor very painful. 

Near-sightedness in Children. — Children troubled by near-sightednes « 
should not lean forward at their work, as thus the vessels of the eye bo- 
come overcharged with blood. They should avoid fine print, and spare tl cir 
eyes in every possible way. If a person reach middle age without especiAl 
difficulty of sight, he is comparatively safe. 

How to Remove Foreign Bodies from the Eye. — If any foreign sub- 
stance, (as cinders, grains of sand, and broken eye-lashes,) gets into the eye, 
it should be removed before inflammation takes place. If cinder or dust get 
into the eye, and no surgeon is at hand, the eyes should be closed that tears 
may accumulate in sufficient quantity, then take the point of a cambric hand- 
kerchief, and opening the eye so as to turn back the lid, the substance can 
be removed. Some use a small loop made from fine smooth wire, which may 
be moved around under the lid. 

" Eye-stones " or Grain of Flaxseed for the Eye. — The popular idea 
of the charm of "eye-stones " is a delusion. While they seem to remove cin- 
ders, they really raise the eyelid and allow the tears to do their proper work. 
A grain of flaxseed answers quite as well. 

" Wild Hairs," or hairs which have grown on the inner side of the lid, 
must be extracted with forceps, and all matter which may have collected 
around the root washed away. 

"Cataract" in the Eye. — Cataract is a disease in which the crystalline 
lens or its capsules become opaque, and thus obscure the vision. A skillful 
surgeon can remove the lens or cause it to be absorbed, and the wearing of 
convex glasses will remedy the defect. The treatment of such cases must 
always be referred to competent medical authority. 

Color-blindness. — The most frequent of this peculiar blindness (or Dal- 
tonism) is, that the patient cannot distinguish red ; next green ; while such 
blindness for blue is rare. Persons have been known to be blind in respect 
of two of the base colors, and occasionally for all colors. 

In an examination of 1,154 persons in Edinburgh, 5 6 per cent, were found 
color-blind; and among 611 students of Harvard University and the Boston 
Institute of Technology, 5 per cent, of the number were found to be affected bj 
it. Among the 3,000,000 of persons thus affected in France, the number ol 
females as compared with men is about one to ten. Experience has proven 
that a great number are thus defective in this resi>ect without themselrei or 
others suspecting it. 

Color-blindness Explained. — This strange fact is explained by our senses 
of the exterior world being in a manner entirely practical. Objects are per- 



148 Home and Health. 

maneni Ij invested by us with qualities which are first noted. Thu; if we say 
this carpet is red^ it will afterward seem to us to be a red carpet. So not only 
by the color do we recognize it, but by a complex combination of qualities 
among which the real sensation of color plays a small part. Thus we :earn 
the sky is blue, grass green, bricks red. 

The Question of Color-blindness Important. — The traveling public, 
both on sea and land, know the use of red and green signals is universal. 
The only security against collisions and other accidents — especially at night — 
is a proper interpretation of such colors. Hence the importance of securing 
for important posts employes of whose correct sight there can be no doubt. 
Among the examining tests which have been tried, the simplest and best 
seems to be the one used more than twenty years ago by Wilson, of Edinburgli, 
more recently revived by Holingren; and which is now generally adopted in 
Europe. The person examined is directed to match different-colored wors- 
teds. 

Cure of Color-blindness. — In nine out of ten cases it may be easily cured 
in young subjects. The best method of treatment consists in methodical ex- 
ercise of the eyes on colored objects. The women of a family ought to un- 
dertake the development of the chromatic sense in children, and especially 
those who may commit errors in the denomination of colors. They should 
be careful not to ridicule these *' Daltonians." In future no one ought to be 
admitted into the service of the railways, the marine, or schools of painting 
without an examination as to colors. " Daltonians " should never be intrusted 
with any service connected with colored signals. Regular exercises in colors 
should be instituted, both in the marine and army. Examinations and exer- 
cises in colors should be established in all schools. 

Medical Treatment of Color-blindness. — By a recent discovery Dalton- 
ism, or "color-blindness," can be cured by looking through a layer of ftcscine 
(a dark-colored substance obtained from animal oil) in solution. A practical 
application of this discovery has been made by M. Joval, in France, by inter- 
posing between two glasses a thin layer of gelatine. 

False Sight Explained. — Dr. Clarke's attention being drawn to this 
subject by striking cases of hallucination of siglit, explains these phenom- 
ena as according with the accepted facts of anatomy and physiology, " The 
apparatus of human vision," he says, " may be described as a mechanism con- 
sisting of fine organs, closely connected and in intimate communication with 
each other. Each member of this apparatus has its special furiiion, and 
each one h supposed to do its own part or duty honestly ; that is, never to 
send a report to a station above which it has not received from below. Nev- 
ertheless, modified by disease, disturbed by drugs, or influenced by the brain 
itself, it sometimes plays false.^ Dr. Clarke clr 1ms that false sight is analo- 



Care of the Eyes, 149 

t^oiis to tliat well known false sensation of pain in a linb days or weeks after 
amputation, and describes seve^'al forms of false sight (pseudopia) arising 
fi'oin different cerebral omditions ; sometimes provoked by an abnormal habit 
like somnambulism and somnolentia, and sometimes by active cerebral disor- 
der like delirium tremens; sometimes by febrile excitement, soraetimes by 
anxiety and mental strain, by stimulants ; and by an act of volition aided by 
habit, association and emotion. 

How to Treat a Sty. — The sty is a small boil protruding from the eye« 
lid. It will usually pass away of itself, but its cure may be hastened by ap- 
plying a warm poultice of bread and water in a small linen bag. Apply 
three or four times a day, and each time foment the eye with warm milk and 
water. 

Important hints Concerning Eyesight. — Unless circumstances demand 
ft, it is better that no one should read, sew, or use the eyes for any close work 
on objects near by before breakfast or immediately after a full meal. 

Bad air and bad food often cause diseased eyes. 

Cold water is about the safest application for inflamed eyes. louHicea 
should never be used. 

Avoid all sudden changes between light and darkness. 

Avoid looking suddenly from a near object to one in the distance. 

Never sleep so that on awaking the eyes shall open on the light of the wiu^ 
dow. 

Do not use eyesight by light so scant that it requires an effort to diserim! 
nate. 

Never read or sew directly in front of the light of a window 

It is best to have the light from above, or obliquely, or over the left shoulder. 

Too much light creates a glare, and pains and confuses the sight. The mo- 
ment you are sensible of an effort to distinguish, that moment stop and talk, 
walk or ride. 

As the sky is blue and the earth green, it would seem that the ceiling 
should be a bluish tinge, the carpet green, and the walls of some melloiv 
tint. 

The moment you are instinctively inclined to rub the eyes, that mora8D« 
cease to use them. 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE HUMAN EAR-HOW WE HEAR. 

In man and the higher vertebrates the organ of hearing is very compli- 
cated, and is divisible into three parts: the external ear, wliicli includes 
the pinna, or auricle and meatus, or external opening; the middle ear, 
drum, or tympanum ; and the internal ear, or labyrinth. 



150 



Home and Health, 




SECTioNAii View of the Human Ear of the Left Side.— 
aa, Helix ; b, Antihelix ; c, Fossa of the Antihelix ; d. Antitra- 
pus ; e, Tragus ; /, Lobule, or Lobe ; g, Concha ; h, External 
Auditory Meatus, or Auditory Canal ; ?, Tympanic Membrane; 
A', Tympanum ; ?, Mallens; m, Incus ;?(, Stapes; o, Vestibule ; 
p, Cochlea ; q, Three semicircular Canals ; r. Auditory Nerve ; 
s. Eustachian Tube. 

Bones of the Left Ear, Seen from the Inside.— l, Ham- 
mer; 2, Anvil ; 3. Stirrup ; 4, Stapedius. 



The waves of air enter the external auditory canal and strike the drum- 
head. They make the drum-head vibrate. Across the cavity of the drum, 

from the drum-head to the 
opposite wall, ihe three 
little bones of the ear — 
the "hammer," the "an- 
vil," and the " stirrup " — 
are stretched in a chain. 
The hammer is joined to 
the drum-liead and to the 
anvil, and the anvil to 
the stirrup. 

"When the drum-mem- 
brane vibrates, these lit- 
tle bones are made to 
vibrate. The last one in 
the chain, the stirrup, is 
joined to a small mem- 
brane in the inner wall of the drum, which is like a little drum-head. 
On the other side of this little drum-head is the inner ear, which is filled 
with water. As the stirrup vibrates it sets the little innor ear vibrating, 
and the little waves strike the ends of the nerve of hearing, and by it the 
impression is carried in to the brain. 

The middle ear is a cavity connected by the Eustachian tube with the 
pharynx, separated from the opening of the external ear by the tympanic 
membrane, and containing a chain of three small bones or ossicles, named 
malleus, incus, and stapes, which connect this membrane with the inter- 
nal ear. The essential part of the internal ear where the fibers of the 
auditory nerve terminate is the membranous labj^rinlh, a complicated system 
of sacs and tubes fihed wnth a fluid (the endoljmiph), and lodged in a 
cavity, called the bony labyrinth, but is partially suspended in it in a fluid 
(the perilymph). The bony labyrinth consists of a central cavity, the 
vestibule, into whicli tliree semicircular canals and the canal of the coch- 
lea (spirally coiled in mammals) open. The vestibular portion of the mem- 
branous labyrintli consists of two sacs, the utriculus and sacculus, con- 
nected by a narrow tube, into tlie former of wl:ich three membranous semi- 
circular canals open, while the latter is connected witli a membranous 
tube in the cochlea containing the organ of corti. By the help of the ex- 
ternal ear the sonorous vibrations of the air are concentrated upon tlie 
tympanic membrane and set it vibrating; the chain of bones in the middle 
ear transmits these vibrations to the internal ear. 



How We Hear. 151 

An ear-aclie is commonly caused by inflammation of the lining of the 
drum. It swells, and discharges a fluid tliat fills the cavity, and makes pain 
by pressure. Sometimes, as the inflammation subsides, the fluid is absorbed. 
Sometimes the drum-membrane bursts and lets out the fluid, and then the 
pain stops. A discharge from the ear commonly comes from an inflamed 
middle ear through a hole in the drum-head. If the hole is small it may 
heal up when the discharge stops. If a large part of the drum-raembrane 
is gone it will not lieal up. 

The loss of the drum-head does not destroy the hearing, but it impairs it. 

Ear-wax is made b}' glands in the skin lining the auditory canal. It is 
not a safe practice to dig it out with hair-pins or other instruments. Ear- 
wax is necessary to keep the canal and drum-head soft and moist, and it 
will take care of itself. If it forms hard lumps, and stops the ear, as it 
sometimes does, it may be removed by carefully syringing with warm water. 

A tuning fork may be set vibrating if its own particular note, or one har- 
monic with it, be sounded in its neighborhood. In other words, it will 
vibrate under the iiittuence of a particular set of vibrations, and no others. 
If the vibrating ends of the tuning fork were so arranged as to impinge 
upon a nerve, their repeated minute blows would at once excite this nerve. 

Suppose that of a set of tuning forks, tuned to every note and distinguish- 
able fraction of a note in tlie scale, one were thus connected with the end 
of every fiber of the cochlear nerve, then any vibration communicated to 
the perilymph would affect the tuning fork which could vibrate with it, 
while the rest would be absolutely or relatively indifferent to that vibra- 
tion. In other words, the vibration would give rise to the sensation of one 
particular tone and no other, and every musical interval would be repre- 
sented by a distinct impression on the sensorium. It is believed that the 
fibers of Corti are competent to perform the function of such tuning forks ; 
that each of them is set vibrating to its full strength by a particular kind 
of wave sent through the perilymph, and by no other ; and that each affects 
a particular fiber of the cochlear nerve only. 

The fibers of the cochlear nerve may be excited by internal causes, such 
as tlie varying pressure of the blood and the like. And in some persons 
such internal influences do give rise to veritable musical spectra, sometimes 
of a very intense character. But for the appreciation of music produced 
external to us we depend upon the intermediation of the scala media and 
its Cortian fibers. 

It has already been explained that the stapedius and tensor tympani mus- 
cles are competent to tighten the membrane of the fenestra ovalis and that 
of the tympanum, and it is probable that they come into action when the 
sonorous impulses are too violent, and would produce too extensive vibra- 



152 Home and Health. 

tions of these membranes. They therefore tend to moderate tlie effect of 
intense sound in much the same way that, as we shall find, the contraction 
of the circular fibers of the iris tends to moderate the effect of intense light 
in the eye. 

The cochlea discriminates the quality rather than the quantity or inten- 
sity of sound. There is great reason to believe that tlie excitement of any 
single filament of the cochlear nerve gives rise, in the mind, to a distinct 
musical impression, and that every fraction of a tone which a well-trained 
ear is capable of distinguishing is represented by its separate nerve fiber. 
Thu^ the scala media resembles a key-board in function as well as in appear- 
ance, the fibers of Corti being the keys, and the ends of the nerves represent- 
ing the strings which the keys strike. Tf it were possible to irritate each 
of these nerve fibers experimentally, we should be able to produce any musi- 
cal tone at will. 

The function of the Eustachian tube is probably to keep the air in the 
tympanum, or on the inner side of the tympanic membrane, of about the 
same tension as that on the outer side, which could not always be the 
case if the tympanum were a closed cavity.* 



CARE OF THE EAR. 

How Sound is Produced. — Whenever one body strikes another in the 
air, waves are produced, just as when we throw a stone into the water a se- 
ries of concentric circles surround the spot where it sinks. These waves of 
air strike upon the membrane. This vibrates and sends the motion along 
the chain of bones in the middle ear to the fluids of the labyrinth. Here, 
bristles, sand, and stones pound away, and the wondrous harp of the coch- 
lea, catching up the pulsations, carries them to the fibres of the auditory 
nerve, which conveys them to the brain, and gives the mind the idea of 
sound. 

Careful Attention and Treatment. — The ear needs the greatest care. 
Cold water should not be allowed to enter the external ear. If the wax ac- 
cumulates, never remove ' i with a hard instrument, but with a little warm 
water, turning the head to let it run out. The hair around the ears she aid 
never be left wet, as it may chill this sensitive organ. 

Temporary Deafness. — This may be caused by the gathering and Ijard- 
ening of ear-wax, in which case the cause may be removed as shown above. 
Temporary deafness, sometimes from imperfect action of the Eustacian tube,* 

* The Eustacian tube extends from the mouth to the middle ear, or cavity inside the ear 
4riim. for tlie piirjiose of admitting tlie air freely Inside of tin- tvinnannm or (Ar-drmii. 



Ca/re of the Ea/r. 158 

caused by iiiflammatiou of the ear. In such cases the muscles that o} en the 
tube should be kept in action by a gargle of alum, or chlorate of potash, or 
cold water. 

Insect in the Ear. — If an insect gets into the ear, pour a little sweet oil 
hito it an 1 kill it, and then remove it with warm water. If this treatment 
fails, plug the external meatus with a piece of " cotton-wool," thoroughly sat- 
urated with a strong solution of common salt or vinegar, and large enough to 
close the orifice completely. After its introduction, turn the patient on the 
eide affected, and press the hand firmly on the ear. In a few minutes the 
noise and irritation caused by the insect, will cease, and, if the plug be 
withdrawn, the insect will probably be found partially imbedded in its sub- 
stance. 

Other Small Bodies in the Ear — To remove small bodies, a stream of 
water may be thrown gently into the canal, or a scoop or bent probe may 
be used. 

Fungus in the Ear. — Exposure of the external ear to an impure, damp at- 
mosphere, coupled with neglect to cleanse the ear, often results in the growth 
of fungus, which can be detected by the microscope. One physician reports 
that he can "count such cases by the hundred." The fungus affects the 
walls of the external ear. One physician reports the case of a cobbler who 
was accustomed to sit on a bench with his left side close to a window open- 
ing into a damp, low atmosphere. He became nearly deaf in that ear from 
the growth of the fungus " on the old wax." 

Remedy for Fungus. — Wash away the large masses with a syringe, and 
apply a weak solution of sulphate of zinc — eight grains to the ounce ; after 
the fungus is removed, to prevent its return, keep the meatus of the ear free 
and dry. 

" Singing in the Ear." — Michael, who was well acquainted with the se 
dative influence of nitrite of amyl on the sympathetic system, and especially 
on the vaso-motor nerves, resolved {^Archives Med. Beiges) to try whether it 
would not prove equally successful in singing in the ear, and eventually ob- 
tained good results in nineteen cases out of twenty-seven. 

From two to five drops of nitrite of amyl were inhaled in one dose. The 
inhalation was continued as long as the following symptoms lasted, viz., a 
iushed face and injection of the vessels of the eye, and was discontinued the 
raoment the patient began to feel giddy. It was noticed that all the patients 
who subsequently improved, complained that the noise in the ears increased 
during inhalation, but as soon as the flush began to disappe ir on the face, 
the singing noise decreased, and was less than before inhalation. In some 
patients the improvement lasted only one hour, in others for some weeks, bui 
Rs fl rule i', lasted from two to ten days. A second inhalation, if not made 



154 Home and Health. 

too soon after the first, had much more marked effects. The author fhmks 
that at least two days must be allowed to elapse between two inh.i/ations ; 
and that the second must not be taken m cases of acute catarrh, or whero 
the singing noise is due to some mechanical cause. — London Medical Record^ 
May 16, 1879. 

Remedies for Earache. — 1. Dr. Browning, of Mississippi, earnestly 
commends the following prescription as a remedy for acute earache: To 
bac oo, (cut fine,) one drachm ; glycerine, one ounce ; mix, and put five drops intt 
the ear once a day. 

2. A case is related of a person suffering with intense pain from earache, 
who, after trying all other remedies without relief, was finally cured by pour- 
ing vinegar upon a hot brick, and with a funnel conducting the steam into 
the ear. Relief was quick and permanent. 

3. Take a small piece of cotton-wool, making a depression in the center 
with a finger, and fill it with as much ground pepper as will rest on a five- 
cent piece, gather it into a ball and tie it up, dip the ball into sweet oil and 
insert it into the ear, covering the latter with cotton-wool, and use a bandage 
or cap to retain it in its place. Almost instant relief will be experienced, 
and the application is so gentle that an infant will not be injured by it, but 
experience relief, as well as adults. 

4. Generally heat is an efficient remedy. Apply a warm poultice or warm 
oil to the ear. Rub the back of the ear with warm laudanum. In case of a 
fetid discharge, carefully syringe the ear with warm milk and water. In all 
cases keep the ear thoroughly cleansed. Relief is often given by rubbing 
the back of the ear with a little hartshorn and water. 

Earache Relieved by Arnica. — A physician endorses the following: 
There is, however, one remedy which the experience of twenty years has 
taught LS is unfailing. We have seen it repeatedly tried in our own family, 
and have frequently recommended it to others, always with the same satis 
factory result. No house should be without its bottle of arnica. It is indis- 
pensable in cases of cuts, burns, and bruises, and in earache it is a sovereign 
cure. As soon as any soreness is felt in the ear, which feeling mostly pre 
cedes the regular " ache," let three or f jur drops of tincture of arnica be 
ponred in, and then the orifice filled with a little cotton to exclude the air, 
and in a short time the uneasiness is forgotten. If the arnica is not resorted 
to until there is actual pain, the cure may not be so speedy, but it is just as 
certain. If one application of the arnica does not effect a cure, it will be 
necessary to repeat it, it may be several times. It is a sure preventive of 
gathering in the ear, which is the usual cause of earache. We have never 
yet known any harm or serious inconvenience to attend the use of arnica ; 
though if the spirits with which it is made are strong, it may be diluted with 



Care of the Ea/r. 155 

A little water, as the spirits, not the arnica, will sometimes cause a temporary 
dizziness of the head, which is vmpleasant. 

Don't Treat the Ear for Toothache. — It is a bad practice to put cot- 
ton-wool soaked in laudanum or chloroform into the ear for the relief of 
toothache. It is true that it may sometimes prove effectual and procure a 
night's rest, for the connection between the teeth and the ear is very close. 
But let it be borne in mind that the ear is far too delicate and valuable an 
organ to be used as a medium for the application of strong remedies for dis- 
orders of the teeth, and that both laudanum and chloroform, more especially 
the latter, are powerful irritants, and that such applications are always ac- 
companied with risk. The teeth should be looked after for themselves by 
some competent dentist ; and if toothache spreads to the ear, this is another 
reason why they should be attended to at once, for prolonged pain in the 
head, arising from the teeth, may itself injure the hearing. In earache every- 
thing should be done to soothe it, and all strong, irritating applications should 
be avoided. Pieces of hot fig or onion should on no account be put in ; but 
warm flannels should be applied, with poppy fomentations, externally, if the 
pain does not soon subside. 

Don't "Box the Ears." — The practice of boxing children's ears is ex- 
ceedingly reprehensible. It is known that the passage of the ear is closed by 
a thin membrane, especially adapted to be influenced by evei'y impulse of the 
air, and with nothing but the air to support it internally. "What, then, can 
be more likely to injure this membrane than a sudden and forcible compres- 
sion of the air in front of it ? If any one designed to break or over-stretch 
the membrane, a more efficient means could scarcely be devised than to bring 
the hand suddenly and forcibly down upon the passage of the ef.r, thus driv- 
ing the air violently before it, with no possibility of its escape but by the 
membrane giving way. Medical authorities assert that children are in this 
way made more or less deaf by boxing on the ear. 



CARE OF THE NOSE.-SMELLING. 

The Sense of Smell. — The nostrils open at the back into the pharynx, 
and are lined by a continuation of the mucous membrane of the throat. The 
olfactory nerves enter through a sieve-like bony plate at the roof of the 
nose, and are distributed over the inner surface of the two olfactory cham- 
bers. The purpose of the sense of smell is to warn us of the presence of 
foul air, and to aid us in the selection of food. 



156 Home and Health. 

The Object May be Distant. — The object to be smelled need not touch 
the nose, but tiny particles borne on the air enter the nasal passages. Three 
quaiters of a grain of musk placed in a room causes a very powerful odor for 
a considerable length of time, without any sensible diminution in weight. 
Odors are transported by the air a long distance. Navigators state that the 
winds bring the odors of the spice islands to them when far away at sea. 

Foreign Substances in the Nose. — Beans, cherry-pits, peas, etc., ofteu 
cause considerable, but not serious, inconvenience among children. The sim- 
plest way of getting rid of the intruder is to close the opposite nostril, and 
blow forcibly into the patient's mouth. Sometimes sneezing, caused by snuff 
introduced into the nostril, will dislodge the object. In place of this, a stream 
of water carried into the nostril by means of a nasal douche, may wash out 
the material. When simple measures fail, a physician must be called, and 
the forceps resorted to. 

Bleeding from the Nose. — The causes which commonly produce bleeding 
from the nose, are those which send the blood too strongly to the head, such 
as strong coffee, too full living, exposure to heat, excess in drinking; any 
violent mental excitement, constipation, etc. It is also caused by tight lacing, 
tight neck-cloths, blows on the nose, etc. In the majority of cases it is ben- 
eficial, but may be so persistent as to endanger life. 

Treatment of Excessive Nose-Bleed. — The patient should be exposed 
to cool air. The head should not hang over a bas^iu, but be kept raised. Find 
which nostril the blood escapes from, and on that side i*aise the arm perpen- 
dicularly, and hold the nose firmly with the finger and thumb. At the same 
time a towel wet with ice-water may be laid on the forehead. A piece of ice, 
a snowball, or cold water compress applied to the back of the neck will often 
stop the bleeding. The popular remedy of placing a cold key between the 
clcjthes and the back should not be forgotten. A more powerful remedy, one 
which seldom fails, is that of blowing, by means of a quill, powdered gum- 
arabic into the nostrils. When clotted blood forms in the nostrils it should 
be disturbed as little as possible. 

Simple Remedy for Nose-Bleed. — A friend who has tried it, says : 
" Put a piece of paper in your mouth, chew it rapidly, and it will stop youi 
nose from bleeding. This remedy has been tried frequently with success." 

A physician says that placing a small roll of paper or muslin above the 
front teeth, under the upper lip, and pressing hard on the same, will arrest 
bleeding from the nose, checking the passage of the blood through the arteries 
leading to the nose. 

Catarrh of the Nose. — This disease is not usually absolutely painful, but 
it is yet in many cases intensely harassing. It is universal, for neither sex 
and no age is free from liability to acute attacks of it. The one great cause 



Care of the Nose. 157 

of it is exposure to cold, sitting in draughts, wetting the feet, arid all circum- 
stances that conspire to close the pores of the skin, may bring on a severe 
attack in a few hours. The chief predisposing causes are confinement in 
over-heated rooms, and the eating and drinking of hot substances. 

Treatment of Nasal Catarrh. — No two cases can be treated exactly 
alike. The special remedy to be used, and the strength of the solution must 
be determined by the progress of the case. In almost all cases weak solu- 
tion of chlorate of potash, applied by means of a syringe, will prove beneficial. 
Carbolic acid, nitric acid, Lugol's solution, iodine and glycerine, tannin and 
glycerine, are also beneficial, and are to be applied in the same manner, or in 
the absence of a syringe, be snuffed into the nostrils. 



CARE OF THE TEETH. 

Number of the Teeth. — The teeth are classed with the mucous mem- 
brane, as are the hair, nails, horn, and scales, which though always found in 
connection with the skeleton, are neither bone nor are they formed in the 
same manner as bone. They are thirty-two in number, sixteen in each jaw, 
similarly shaped and arranged. 

How the Teeth are Classified. — There are eight teeth in each half jaw, 
making thirty-two in all. In each half jaw the two nearest the middle of 
each jaw have wide, sharp, chisel-like edges fit for cutting, and hence are called 
incisors. The next one in each half corresponds to the great tearing or 
holding tooth of the dog, and is called canine (from canis, a dog) or eye tooth. 
The next two have broader crowns with two points or cusps, and hence are 
called the bicuspids. The remaining three on each side in each jaw are much 
broader, and as they are used to crush the food they are called grinders or 
molars. The incisors and eye teeth have one fang or root, the others have 
two or three each. 

Order and Period of their Growth. — We are provided with two sets 
of teeth. The first or " milk teeth," are small and are only twenty in num- 
ber. The middle incisors are usually cut about the age of seven months, and 
the others at the age of nine months ; the first molars at the age of twelve 
months; and the canine at the age of eighteen months; tLie remaining 
molars at two and three years of age. The lower teeth precede the corre- 
sponding upper ones. At six years of age, when the first set are usually still 
perfect, the jaws contain the crowns of all the second except the wisdom 
teeth. About this age, to meet the wants of the growing body, the crowns of 
the second set begin to press against the roots of the milk teeth which, be- 



158 Home and Health. 

coming absorbed, leave the loosened teeth to drop out^ tvhile the new ones rise 
and occupy their places. The central incisors appe».r at about seven years of 
age, the others at eight ; the first bicuspids at mn<^, the second at ten ; the 
canines at eleven or twelve; the second molar? at thirteen, and the dejis 
sapientiac or " wisdom teeth" (further back) in thi twenty-second year. Some- 
times these are cut at a later period. 

The Composition of Teeth. —The interior of the tooth consists of den- 
fiwf, a substance resembling bone. In the tuik of the elephant it is known 
as vory. The crown is protected by a sheath of enamel^ a hard, glistening 
white substance, containing only two and a half per cent, of animal matter. 
The fang ife covered by a thin layer of true oone. At the center of the tooth 
is a cavity filled with a soft, reddish-wh/te pulpy substance full of blood, 
vessels and nerves. This pulp is very sensitive and toothache is caused by 
its irritation. The tooth is not set in the jaw like a nail in wood, having the 
fang in contact with bone, but the socket is lined with a membrane which 
forms a soft cushion. AVhile this is in a healthy state it deadens the force 
of any shock, but when inflamed becomes the seat of excruciating pain. 

Causes of Decay. — The decay of t/^e teeth is commonly caused by portions 
of food which become entangled bet''"een them, and on account of the heat 
and moisture quickly decompose. As the saliva evaporates it leaves on the 
teeth a sediment which is called tartar. This collects the organic matter 
which rapidly changes and also affords a soil in which a sort of fungus 
speedily springs up. From these causes the teeth are injured and the breath 
becomes offensive. The teeth can only be preserved by keeping them clean. 

Want of Cleanliness. — This is, perhaps, the most direct of the preventable 
causes of the most common dental disease, namely, decay ; for this is always 
the result of chemical action, progressing from without inward. Food al- 
lowed to remain in the crevices and interstices of the teeth soon decomposes, 
sided as it is by the heat and moisture of the mouth ; an acid being gen- 
firated attacks the tooth structure, gradually but surely decomposing it — and 
this docay so formed is capable of again reproducing itself by its attack 
ipon the so^nd bone beneath it. Time only is needed for the complete de- 
Jtruction of the structure, the rapidity of which is retarded or not by th(j 
?ircun>3t.''UC'"s of constitution, vital force, etc. 

Dej^out i Tartar Injurious. — An earthy substance, commonly known as 
tartar, is In greater or less quantities deposited on all teeth, which, if allowed 
to accumulate and harden, works great mischief by pressing the gums from 
their normal position, causing inflammation in them, and instead of being 
firm are spongy, bleeding from the slightest pressure. The roots of the teeth 
being thus partially exposed, they gradually become loose and sore, and often 
teeth which are so perfect in formation as to resist the action of decaying 



Care of the Teeth. 159 

agents, perfectly sound in themselves, lose so much of their vital connection 
with their sockets as to drop out. So insidiously do both of these diseased 
conditions progress, especially the latter, that many are just startled from 
complacent reflection on the fact of never having had toothache, to lament 
over irrecoverable loss. 

How to Care for Permeinent Teeth. — The value of the permanent teeth 
depends largely upon healthfulness of the first or temporary set. The milk 
teeth should be cared for and preserved till nature is ready to supply theii 
places with the permanent organs; so that the arch of the mouth maj be 
preserved, and that the roots may be absorbed and the material therein may 
not be lost to the system in the development of the new tooth. Irregularity 
cf the second set w-ould be almost unknown if by frequent visits to a com- 
petent dentist the first teeth were retained until nature should have no fur- 
ther use for them, and then, removed. 

How to Oare for the Teeth Early. — The child should be taught at five 
to dampen the brush in water every morning, rub it over a cake of castile 
soap, and then brush the teeth well, inside and out, front and rear; until, 
with the aid only of the saliva, the mouth is full of soap-suds : then rinse 
with tepid water, twirling the brush sideways over the back part of the 
tongue, so as to cleanse it fully of the soap and leave a good taste ; after 
each meal the mouth should be well rinsed with tepid water, as also the last 
thing on retiring. The mouth maintains a temperature of ninety-eight de- 
grees ; hence, if any food lodges about or between the teeth, it begins to rot 
very soon, giving out an acid which immediately begins to eat into tke tooth, 
preparatory to an early decay ; if solid particles aic observed to lodge between 
the teeth, the child should be taught to use a very thin quill to dislodge it, 
but not without ; for the more a quill is used the greater space between the 
teeth, which is a misfortune, as it necessitates the use of a toothpick for all 
after life, consuming a great deal of valuable time. A clean tooth does not 
decay. 

How Often Should the Teeth be Washed ? — Grown people should 
clean their teeth at least five times in the course of the twenty-four hours — 
on rising in the morning and on going to bed at night, and after each meal 
A brush as hard as can be borne without pain should be used, and the bes I 
of all applications is pure soap and water, always luke-warm. 

Use of Aromatic Water. — It is the custom in some parts of England 
and France to rinse the mouth with warm aromatic water after eating. It is 
well to remember that this precaution not only tends to keep the teeth clean, 
but to clear the voice of those about to sing or converse. 

A Mixture for the Teeth. — Dissolve two ounces of borax in three piuis 
of boiling water, and before it is cold add QUe teaspoonful of spirits of cam 



160 tloME AND Health. 

phor, and bottle for ase. A tablespuonful of this mixture, mixed with an 
equal quantity of tepid water, and applied daily with a soft brush, jireservee 
and beautifies the teeth, extirpates all tartarous adhesions, arrests decay, in- 
duces a healthy action of the gums, and makes them look pearly white. 

Tooth-Powders often Injurious. — Most kinds of tooth powders are in- 
jurious both to the enamel and the gums ; and if employed, every particle of 
them should be removed from the mouth by careful rinsing. The habit which 
Bome women have of using a bit of lemon, though it may whiten the teeth, 
and give temporary firmness and color to the gums, is fatal to the enamel, as 
are all acids. 

" Cracking Nuts with the Teeth." — No one, young or old, should turn 
their jaws into nut-crackers ; and it is dangerous even for women to bite off, 
as they often do, the ends of thread in sewing. 

Importance of Healthful Gums. — Wholesome gums are more essential 
even than the teeth to the beauty of the mouth. They should be of a firm 
texture and a lively red color, and well spread over the base of each tooth, 
but they are often pale or livid, shrunken, fleshless, and sometimes even ul- 
cerated. The excessive use of sugar and candies does great mischief. It is 
not chiefly the bad effect of the acids produced by their composition, but the 
grittiness of these substances which wears away the gum, bares the roots of 
the tooth, and spoils the mouth. This is the chief danger of the use of tooth- 
powders. 

Teething. — Young children, while cutting their first set of teeth, often 
suffer constitutional disturbance. At first they are restless and peevish, but 
not unfrequently these svmptoms are followed by convulsive fits, and some- 
times under this condition the child is either cut off suddenly, or the founda- 
tion of serious mischief to tl>e brain is laid. The remedy, or rather safe- 
guard, against these circumstances consists merely in lancing the gum cover- 
ing the tooth which is making its way through. 

Keep close watch over the gums, and when they are swollen and red have 
them lanced immediately. The teeth will probably come through the day 
after lancing, but if they do not, and the cut heals, and a scar forms, there is 
nothing to be feared, as, when the teeth finally appear, the scar will give way 
much more easily than the uncut gum. If the teeth do not come through 
after two or three days, the lancing may be repeated ; and this is especially 
needed if the child seems in much pain. The relief children experience in 
the course of two or three hours from the operation is often very remarkable. 

"Toothache Cures." — 1. Relief from toothache or neuralgic affections 
arising from teeth in any stage of decay, may often be obtained by saturating 
a small bit of clean cotton or wool with a strong solution of ammonia, and 
applying it immediately to the affected tooth. The pleasant contrast in- 



Care of the Teeth. 161 

stantaneously produced sometimes causes a fit of laughter, although a mo- 
ment before extreme suffering and anguish prevailed. 

2. One dram of collodium flexile added to two drams of Calvert's car- 
Dolic acid is a most excellent appliciition. A small portion should be inserted 
into the cavity of the tooth by means of a bit of lint. 

8. Powdered alum and salt mixed in equal quantities, and placed on a small 
piece of damp cotton, and put into the cavity, sometimes gives permanent 
relief. 

At a meeting of the London Medical Society, Dr. Blake, a distinguished 
practitioner, said that he was able to cure the most desperate case of the 
toothache, unless the disease was connected with rheumatism, by the appli- 
cation of the following remedy : Alum, reduced to an impalpable powder, 
two drams ; nitrous spirits of ether, seven drams ; mix, and apply to the 
tooth. 

4. Two or three drops of essential oil of cloves put upon a small piece of 
lint or cotton-wool, and placed in the hollow of the tooth, will be found to 
have the active power of curing the toothache without destroying the tooth 
or injuring the gums. 

5. Toothache may be temporarily alleviated by scrupulously cleaning out 
the cavity of the tooth — as decay has generally hollowed it at some part — 
and dropping into this cavity a piece of cotton-wool soaked in creosote, or a 
strong solution of alum. After using the creosote, etc., the hollow of the 
tooth should be filled up with a pellet of cotton-wool saturated with a solu- 
tion of gum-mastic in ether, or with a piece of gutta-percha softened in boil- 
ing water. The condition of the stomach and bowels should in all cases of 
toothache be attended to. 

6. A Paris journal states that Dr. Bouchard, of that city, finds the use of 
electricity very efficient in cases of severe toothache, a perfect cure, even 
where the teeth are greatly decayed, being not unfrequently obtained, and 
temporary relief almost invariably ensuing. In numerous instances where alle- 
viation was at first of short duration, the effect became more and more marked, 
and longer, as the treatment was repeated. The method pursued by Dr. 
Bouchard, in applying the electricity, is to place the positive pole of the cur- 
rent on the cheek opposite the diseased tooth, and the negative upon the an- 
terolateral portion of the neck ; and, to avoid ulcerations, the electrodes are 
made very large, and their places frequently changed. The application is 
continued for about half an hour, although relief is frequently experienced 
in ten to fifteen minutes. A battery of about ten elements is used. 

What to Do with Decayed Teeth. — Decayed teeth should have atten- 
tion at once. If only partially destroyed, the decayed part may be cut away, 
and a filling inserted ; but a tooth much decayed should never be allowed to 
remain in the mouth, as it will destroy its neighbors. 
U 



162 Home and Health. 

Artificial Teeth. — When teeth become so troublesome as to habitually 
disturb the nervous system, they should be removed. Many diseases are 
earned, and most other's greatly aggravated, by toothache. *' Stop the ache, or 
remove the tooth," should be universally obeyed. Thousands of persons suf- 
fer for years in great discomfort to themselves and to all around them, until 
their constitutions are permanently impaired, when the removal of a single 
tooth would bring permanent relief. 



CARE OF THE HAIR. 

Growth of the Hair. — At the root of each hair is a tiny bulb, in which 
the nutriment is supplied. As long as these bulbs (papillae) remain in a 
healthy condition, the hair will continue to grow. It is of the first impor- 
tance, therefore, that the scalp be kept clean, the pores open, and the pro- 
cesses of the nutritive supply free and active. 

How to Preserve the Hair. — Wash the scalp often and thoroughly 
with soft water, and wipe it dry with a towel. Keep the head well ventilated. 
If the hat is close, lift it often and let in the fresh air. A hat with a crown 
in which there is room for a reservoir of air, is much better than a close-fit- 
tmg cap. Hats should not be worn in-doors. 

Why Ladies are not Bald. — Ladies, notwithstanding they wear long 
hair, (which is more likely to fall out,) seldom are bald-headed. Their heads 
are not kept covered in-doors, and when out-doors they are not closely covered. 
In sleeping none should confine the hair in a close night-cap. 

Why the Hair Falls Out. — Hair falls out for want of nourishment. It 
dies just as a blade of grass dies in a soil where there is no moisture. This 
want of nourishment is only "functional," the papillae sacs and other appa- 
ratus remain, but are inactive. The mechanism which supplies it, the appa- 
ratus, is there to make it ; but it is out of order,* and makes it imperfectly ; 
&o the hair being imperfectly nourished, is dry, scant, or a mere furze, accord- 
ing to the degree of the defective nourishment. 

How to Prevent the Hair from Falling Out. — As to men, when the 
hair begins to fall out, the best plan is to have it cut short, give it a good 
brushing with a moderately-stifE brush while the hair is dry, then wash it well 
with warm soap suds, then rub into the scalp, about the roots of the hair, a 
liitle bay rum o\ camphor water. Do these things at least once a week. The 
brushing of the scalp may be profitably done twice a week. Dampen the 
hair with water every time the toilet is made. Nothing ever made is better 
for the hair than pure soft water, if the scalp is kept clean in the way vq 
have named. 



Care of the Hair, 163 

" Organic Baldness " Incurable. — " Organic " baldness is when the de- 
fect of nutriment arises from the destruction of the papillae, the apparatus 
which made it. When the scalp is in any part entirely bare of hair, and shiny 
or glistening^ that is organic baldness, and there is no remedy. 

" Functional " Baldness Curable. — When the bulbs are uninjured, that 
is, the nutritive organs remain, but have become partially or wholly inactive, 
this is "functional baldness," and can be remedied radically and perma- 
nently in only one way and that is by taking means to improve the general 
Sealth 

How to Cure Functional Baldness. — If there is not that shining, 
glistening appearance, but a multitude of very small hairs, causing a " furzi- 
ness " over the scalp, that is " functional " baldness ; and two things are to 
be done. Keep the scalp clean with soap-suds — that is a " balm of a thou- 
sand flowers." More especially and principally seek to improve your general 
health by eating plain, substantial food three regular times a day, and by 
spending three or four hours between meals in moderate exercise in the open 
air or in somf engrossing employment. 

A little turpentine applied to the bald patches by means of sponges, will 
hasten the first appearance of the hair, and the growth of hair, when it re- 
commences, may be stimu'ated by constant shaving. 

Avoid Heiir-Dyes. — Hair dyes, or so-called " hair-restorers," should be 
strenuously avoided, as they tend to fill the pores of the skin, and almost in- 
variably contain poisonous matters, which the system absorbs. 

Caution in Using " Hair-Oils." — The frequent use of " oils," " bear's 
grease," " arcturine," " pomades," '* lustrals," " rosemary washes," and such 
like upon the hair, is a practice not to be commended. These oils and greasy 
pomades are manufactured from lard-oil and simple lard. No " bear's grease " 
is ever used. If it could be procured readily it should not be applied to the 
hair, as it is the most rank and filthy of all the animal fats. 

A Good Hair Dressing. — There are many persons whose hair is natu- 
lally very dry and crisp ; and in most families there is a want of some inno- 
cent and agreeable wash or dressing, which may be used moderately and 
judiciously. The mixture which may be regarded as the most agreeable, 
cleanly, and safe, is composed of cologne spirit and pure castor-oil. The fol- 
lowing is a good formula : Pure, fresh castor-oil, two ounces ; cologne spirit, 
(ninety-five per cent.,) sixteen ounces. The oil is freely dissolved in the spirit, 
and the solution is clear and beautiful. It may be perfumed in any way to 
suit the fancy of the purchaser. 

Value of Castor-Oil for the Hair. — A competent writer in the Boston 
Journal of Chemistry urges that the oil of the castor-bean has for many 



* 



164 Home and Health. 

years been employed to dress the hair, both among the savage and civilized 
nations, and it possesses properties which admirably adapt it to this use. It 
does not dry rapidly ; and no gummy, offensive residuum remains, after tak- 
ing on all the chemical changes which occur in all oils upon exposure to light 
and air. It is best diffused by the agency of strong spirits, in which it dis- 
solves, the alcohol or spirit rapidly evaporates, and does not, in the slightest 
degree, injure the texture of the hair. This preparation for dressing the 
nair of children or ladies will meet nearly or quite all requirements. 

A Preparation of Glycerine and Rose-water Recommended.- -A 

cheap and very good dressing is made by dissolving four ounces of perfectly 
pure, dense glycerine in twelve ounces of rose-water. Glycerine evaporates 
only at hi^'^. temperatures ; and therefore, under its influence the hair is re- 
tained in a moist condition for a long time. 

Relative Value of Other Oil Preparations. — As a class, the vegeta- 
ole oils are bettor for the hair than animal oils. They do not become rancid 
and offensive so rapidly, and they are subject to different and less objection- 
able chemicax changes. 

Olive-oil, and that derived from the cocoa-nut, have been largely employed, 
but they are far inferior, in every respect, to that from the castor-bean. 

How to Prevent the Hair from Turning Gray. — The hair may be 
prevented, generally for a considerable time, from turning gray, by keeping 
the head cool, and by using occasionally sage tea with a little borax added. 
With a small sponge apply to every part of the head just before or at the 
time of dressing the hair. 

Washing the Hair with Soda-watei, Relieves Headache. — Many per- 
sons find speedy relief for nervous headache by washing the hair thoroughly 
in weak soda-water. I have known severe cases almost wholly cured in ten 
minutes by this simple remedy. A friend finds it the greatest relief in cases 
of " rare cold," the cold symptoms entirely leaving the eyes and nose after 
one thorough washing of the hair. The head should be thoroughly dried 
afterward, and drafts of air avoided for a little while. 

Sudden Changes in the Color of the Hair. — Sudden and severe 
frights have sometimes so affected the nerves connected with the papillae at 
the roots of the hair, as to produce instantaneous changes in the color of the 
hain A German medical magazine, now before us, reports two recent cases. 

A Remarkable Case in Berlin. — A physician of Berlin, a strong, 
healthy, and less than middle-aged man, sent his wife and one daughter to 
spend last summer at a watering-place. The day that he expected a letter in- 
forming him of their arrival, there came one saying that his daughter had 
been taken sick very suddenly, and was already dead. The shock was terri- 



Care of the Hair. 165 

ble, and instantly his hair became entirely gray. He had to visit some pa- 
tier.*^ tliat same aftemoou, and they scarcely recognized him. Their pecuUar 
actions revealed the change to him. 

A Remarkable Case in Rotterdam. — Another case was that of a 
man thirty-five years old, living in the Netherlands. He was one day passing 
the canal in Rotterdam, when he saw a child struggling in the water. He 
plunged in and brought it to land, but it was already dead by the time he 
had rescued its body. Bending over to try to restore life, he discovered that 
the dead child was his own son. The blow, so sudden and unexpected, and 
coming upon hiui when he himself was so much exhausted, turned his hair 
entirely gray, and left him scarcely recognizable. 

Sudden Changes of Color without Fright. — That eminent savan, 
Dr. Brown-Sequard, in his Archives de Physiologic, discovered a rapid transi- 
tion in color, on certain portions of his face, while he was in perfect health. 
After detailing the particulars in the case, he says that, without any apprecia- 
ble caifse, other than that which at a certain age makes the beard turn white, 
there took place in his case a very rapid change of color, from black to white, 
in a considerable number of the hairs upon his face. As far as he could as- 
certain, this change occurred always in the night. He did not examine the 
whitened hairs with the microscope. He concludes that this experience of 
his puts beyond a doubt the possibiUty of a very rapid transformation (proba- 
bly in less than a night) of black hairs into white. 

Utility of Beards. — A recent writer in one of our standard magazines 
strongly puts the case as follows : There are more solid inducements for wear- 
ing the beard than the mere improvement of a man's personal appearance, 
and the cultivation of such an aid to the every-day diplomacy of life. Nature 
combining, as she never fails to do, the useful with the ornamental, provides 
us with a far better respirator than science could ever make, and one that is 
never so hideous to wear as that black seal upon the face that looks like a 
passport to the realms of suffering and death. The hair of the moustache 
not only absorbs the moisture and miasma of the fogs, but it strains the iir 
from the dust and soot of our great cities. It acts, also, in the most scien- 
tific manner, by taking heat from the warm breath as it leaves the chest, and 
supplying it to the cold air taken in. It is not only a respirator, but, with 
the beard entire, we are provided with a comforter as well ; and these 
are never left at home, Uke umbrellas, and all such appUances, whenever 
they are wanted. Moffat and Livingstone, the African explorers, and many 
other travelers, say that in the night no wrapper can equal the beard. A re- 
markable thing is, too, that the beard, like the hair of the head, protects 
against the heat of the sun ; but, more than this, it becomes moist with th^ 
peJsi)iration, and then, by evaporation, cools the skin. 



166 Home and Health. 

To Remove Dandruff. — 1. Wash the head thoroughlj and often with pure 
Boft water, and brush it thoroughly until the hair is dry. 2. The white of an 
egg rubbed thoroughly into the hair with the fingers, and then washed out 
with plenty of tepid water, is very good. 3. Borax removes the dandruff 
quickly and perfectly, but is apt to make the hair dry and stiff. 4. Am- 
monia, and all other alkalies, should be avoided. 



CARE OF THE FEET. 

Warm Feet Essential to Health.— Unless the feet be kept varm the 
circulation of the blood to the extremities is prevented, the whole system be- 
comes deranged, and fever of any kind becomes aggravated as a result. A 
distinguished medical man declares that, as a result of many years' careful 
observation in a large practice in his profession, he believes a large part of 
the sickness prevalent in any community is " nearly or remotely the result of 
cold feet." 

How to Cure the Habit of Cold Feet. — The feet should be placed n 
a basin of cold water every morning for a few seconds, just deep enough to 
cover the toes ; wipe dry, dress, and walk off. Once or twice a week the 
feet should be held in water, made comfortably warm, for some ten minutes, 
adding hot water from time to time, using a little soap ; if at the end of 
this bathing at night the feet were placed in a pan of cold water, toe-deep, 
for less than a quarter of a minute, it would greatly aid in giving tone to the 
skin, vigor to the circulation, and softness to the skin, and thus do much to- 
ward keeping them comfortably warm. 

A tablespoonful of chloride of lime in a basin of warm ^ater is an excel- 
lent wash for removing foot odor. 

How to Sleep with Warm Feet. — Before retiring to bed, especially in 
fire time of year, hold both feet before a blazing fire, stockings removed, for 
ten minutes at least, rubbing them with the hands all the time until they feel 
perfectly dry and warm ; such a process will warm the feet more effectually 
in five minutes than can be done in an hour by holding them to the fire with 
Btockings and shoes on. 

Waking up w^ith Cold Feet. — Sometimes, without apparent cause, a 
person will suddenly wake up to the knowledge that his feet are coii, and a 
disagreeable sensation is caused which pervades the whole body, md the 
mind and temper become fretful and morose. This is often the case in the 
very midst of summer. When this is observed you are taking cold, and you 
Bhould instantly treat the feet to a blazing fire as named above. If this is 
not practicable, give them a hot foot bath as just directed. In either case 



Ca/re of the Feet. 167 

you will not only avert the cold, but you will also experience a feeling of com- 
fortableness which is delightful. This same kind of bath is the speediest 
and most comfortable means of warming the feet when they are found to be 
uncomfortably cold after coming in from a walk, or a long day's work. 

To Keep the Feet Dry. — Many ways have been devised for rendering 
the upper leather of shoes impervious to water; a much better plan is to 
keep out of the water, for whatever will keep water out ivill also keep the 
perspiration and ill odor always in. To make leather impervious is to make 
it board-like, hard, unyielding, and hot as fire of a summer's day ; but if it 
be absolutely necessary at any time to wear a shoe which shall exclude water, 
the application of castor oil or petroleum with a brush, and then allow it to 
dry, is perhaps the most familiar, accessible, and facile mode known. 

Short and High-heeled Shoes. — Thousands of people lose their natu- 
ral ease and grace of motion, and become stiff and awkward walkers, simply 
from wearing short-heeled shoes, and thereby losing their natural elasticity 
of step. Another effect of flattening the arch of the foot is to increase its 
length, and the foot is often lengthened in this way to the extent of half or 
three-quarters of an inch. The matter is made still worse by wearing the 
heels very high, and many a foot has been ruined by this pernicious practice. 
Short and high-heeled shoes also readily permit the easy turning over of the 
ankle, and many a strained and weakened ankle is the result of them. 

Cause of Chilblains. — These are slight inflammations which occur on the 
toes and fingers, and sometimes the nose and ears — generally in winter, and 
where a part has been rapidly heated when it was very cold. They consist 
of red and swollen patches, sometimes accompanied with blisters, and these, 
upon breaking, are apt to become ulcerated, and to occasion much annoy- 
ance. 

To Cure Chilblains. — In the simpler forms, some stimulating liniment, 
such as equal parts of spirit of wine and vinegar, or spirit of camphor, will 
prove sufficient to cure chilblains, but when ulcerations occur, some stronger 
remedy will be found necessary. 

One very good remedy is to place red-hot coals on a pan, throw a handful 
of corn meal over them, and hold the suffering feet in the den.se smoke. 

Severe weather may produce a recurrence of the trouble at intervals, but 
persistent use of this remedy will prevent it as well as cure it. It has been 
known to effect very marked cures, where the persons were unusually ex- 
posed, and when all other remedies were useless. 

A foreign medical journal thinks the cause of chilblains is often due to im- 
poverishment of blood and a languid, weakly condition of the whole system 
not to be met by any local remedy. Yet there are local applications which 
sometimes afford relief, if a person can strike on the right one. Turpentine 



168 Home and Health. 

is to many a great blessing. Glycerine is a good thing to rub into tl e hands 
before washing with castile soap and tepid water. Warm vinegar sometinies 
avails. Kid gloves, lined with wool, are recommended, and, in general, care 
must be taken to keep the hands and feet from wet and cold. The London 
Chemist recommends a lotion, which should be used with some caution ; lini- 
ment of belladonna two drams, liniment of aconite one dram, carbolic acid 
ten drops, collodion one ounce, to be painted over the surface with a brush. 
If the skin is broken, the aconite should be left out. This will form a film 
or varnish which will keep the air out. 

How to Prevent and How^ to Remove Corns. — For prevention of 
corns use daily friction of cold water between the toes. For their removal, 
the following suggestions are given : — 

1. Hard corns may be carefully picked out by the use of a small, sharp- 
pointed scalpel or teuolomy knife, and if well done the cure is often radical, 
always perfect for the time. 

2. They may be equally successfully removed by wearing over them for a 
few days a small plaster made by melting a piece of stick diachylon and 
dropping on a piece of white silk. The corn gradually loosens from the ad- 
jacent healthy skin, and can be readily pulled or picked out. 

3. Soft corns require the use of astringents, such as alum dissolved in 
white of egg, or the careful application of tincture of iodine. 

4. A simple cure for both hard and soft corns, which rarely fails, is a 
poultice of bread dipped in cider vinegar and applied every night until cured. 

5. Lemon juice effects only a temporary cure, unless applied before the 
corn has gained ground firmly. 

6. A large cranberry or raisin split open and bound to the toe is very good. 
V. The strongest acetic acid (vinegar) applied night and morning with a 

camel-hair brush to either soft or hard corns, will remove them in one week's 
time. 

8. The heart of a potato boiled in its skin, placed on a corn and, left there 
for twelve hours will give temporary relief. 

9. Apply a good coat of gum-arabic mucilage over them every evening on 
going to bed, 

10. Apply castor-oil, after paring closely, every night before going to bed. 
This softens the corn, and it becomes as the other flesh. 

11. Take a little-sweet oil, on getting up in the morning and before retir- 
ing at night, and rub it on the corn with the tip of the finger, keeping the 
corn well pared down. This relieves the friction, which causes corns, and will 
cure them in a short time. 

12. Apply with a brush morning and evening a drop of a solution of the 
per-chloride of iron. After a fortnight's continued application, without pain, 
a patient who had suffered martyrdom for nearly forty years, from a most 



Ca/re of the Feet. 169 

painful corn on the inner side of each little toe was entirely relieved. Pres- 
sure was no longer painful, and Dr. B. believed the cure radical. Two other 
similar cases were equally successful. 

13. After removing the stocking at night, with the nails of the thumb and 
forefinger loosen the corn at the edges, and gradually peel it across until it 
comes off. This is done with entire ease when the toe is not inflamed and 
sore, and if the corn hardens again in a few weeks, as it will be apt to, the 
process is easily repeated. The main point is, don't pinch the feet with tight 
elioes. 

14. Soak the feet well in warm water, then with a sharp instrument pare 
off as much of the corn as can be done without pain, and bind up the part 
with a piece of linen or muslin, thoroughly saturated with sperm oil, or, what 
is better, the oil which floats upon the surface of the pickle of herring or 
mackerel. After three or four days the dressing may be removed, and the 
remaining cuticle removed by scraping, when the new skin will be found of a 
soft and healthy texture, and less liable to the formation of a new corn than 
before. 

Cause of " Ingrowing Toe-nail." — This affection is of more consequence 
than is usually supposed. It is sometimes a serious matter to the patient and 
causes much pain. One principal cause comes from the fashion of wearing 
very small-toed boots, and another from wearing much-darned stockings. It is 
aot usually the nail that is in fault, but the skin surrounding it. This becomes 
thickened and ulcerated and gradually the nail becomes overlapped. The 
nail then becomes bent and grows irregularly, but it is the highly sensitive 
skin that gives the pain. 

Remedies for Ingrowing Nail. — 1. Mr. Wood, surgeon of King's Col- 
lege Hospital, recommends broad-toed boots, also scraping the center of the 
nail thin with a piece of glass. A plug of cotton under the edge of the nail 
will aid in restoring it to proper shape and position. 

2. A Liverpool physician has, for the past twenty years, employed com- 
pressed sponge very successfully in the treatment of ingrowing nails. His 
method is to render the sponge compact by wetting, and then tying it tightly 
until it is thoroughly dry. A bit of the sponge, in size less than a grain of 
ri ;e, is placed under the nail, and secured by strips of adhesive plaster. In 
this way the point of the nail is kept up from the toe until the surrounding 
soft parts are restored to their normal condition by appropriate means. Of 
course there is no pain in this remedy, and its application requires only ordi- 
nary skill. 

3. It is stated that cauterization by hot tallow is an immediate cure for in- 
growing nails. Put a small piece of tallow in a spoon, and heat it over a 
lamp until it becomes very hot, and drop two or three drops between nail and 



lYO Home and Health. 

granulations. The effect is almost magical. Pain and tenderness are at once 
relieved, and in a few days the granulations all go, leaving the diseased parts 
dry and destitute of all feeling, and the edge of the nail exposed, so as to 
admit of being pared away without any inconvenience. The operation causes 
little if any pain if the tallow is properly heated. 

Remedy for Blistered Feet. — On going to bed rub the feet with tallow, 
dropped from a Ughted tallow candle into the palm of the hand. 

Bunions. — These may be checked when they first appear by binding the 
joint with adhesive plaster and keeping it on until all indications of an en- 
largement disappear. An inflamed bunion demands large shoes and a poul- 
tice. Ar. ointment, to be rubbed on gently twice or three times a day, may 
be made of iodine, twelve grains, lard or spermaceti ointment, half an ounce 

To Cure " Frosted Feet." — Warm some pine tar, and apply with a 
feather to the affected part ; heat it by the fire before going to bed. In very 
bad cases it may need the second or third application. It is a sure cure, and 
the tar can easily be removed with lard and soap. 

Treatment of Scalded Feet. — AVhen the legs and feet are scalded, they 
should be plunged as soon as possible into cold water, and kept immersed in 
it a considerable length of time before the stockmgs are removed. By this 
means blisters are often prevented. 



I 



CARE OF THE SKIN. 

Use of the Skin. — The skin is not only a covering and a protection for 
the body, but also the medium of perspiration. This perspiration consists 
of ninety -nine parts of water and one part of solid matter. It is called in- 
sensible because the vapor is not recognized by the senses, except where its 
flow is excessive and interrupted, forming drops on the surface which are 
called in common language, sweat. The daily exhalations through the skin 
aggregate about an average weight of two pouvids ! The skin also possesses 
a remarkal^le absorbing power, and to such a degree that substances may be 
imbibed through its pores as a medicine, or as a partial relief from thirst and 
hunger. As an exhalant and absorbent the skin in its functions has been 
compared to the lungs. Some writers on physiology describe it as "the 
third lung of the body." By carefully-conducted experiments it has been 
found that the skin acts in the same way as the lungs in absorbing oxygen 
from the air, and giving off carbonic acid to an appreciable amount.* 

* In some of the loAver animals the skin plays a still more important part. Frogs, for 
Instance, deprived of their lungs, breathe with almost undiminished activity, and often 
B\u-vive for days, and snakes get their main supply of air through the skin. 



Care of the Skin, 171 

Color of the Skin. — Underneath the outer skin are minute cells covj 
laining the particles of coloring matter. The particles are about ^nJVff ^f an 
inch in diameter. " In the varying tint of this coloring matter liea the differ- 
ence of hue between the blonde and the brunette, the European and tlie 
African. In the purest complexion there is some of t^iis pignjent, which, 
however, disappears as the fresh, round, soft cells of the cutis change into 
the old, flat, horny scales of the cuticle. Scars are white, because this part 
of the cuticle is not restored. The sun has a powerful effect upon the col 
oring matter, and so we readily ' tan ' on exposure to its rays. If the co.oi 
gathers in spots, it forms freckles.* " 

The Pores of the Skin. — These are fine tubes about g^-y of an inch in 
diameter, and a quarter of an inch in length, which run through the cutis, 
and then coil up in httle balls. They are very numerous. In the palm of 
the hand there are about 2,800 in a single square inch. On the back of the 
neck and trunk, where they are the fewest, there are yet 400 to the square 
inch. The entire number on the body of an adult is estimated at about 
2,500,000. The mouths of these pores may be seen with a pocket lens along 
the fine ridges which cover the palm of the hand. Through these pores the 
body throws off its excess of water and various impurities from the blood, 
and imbibes oxygen and other substances with which the skin comes into 
contact, f 

* This action of the sun on the pigment of the skin is very marked. Even among the 
Africans, the skin is observed to lose its intense black color in those who live for many 
months in the shades of the forests. It is said that Asiatic and African women confined 
within the walls of the harem, and thus secluded from the sun, are as fair as Europeans. 
Among the Jews who have settled in Northern Europe are many of light complexion, 
while those who live in India are as dark as the Hindoos. The black pigment has been 
known to disappear during severe Illness, and a lighter color to be developed in its place. 
Among the negroes are sometimes found people who have no complexion, i. e., there is no 
coloring matter in their skin, hair, or the iris of their eyes. These persons are called Al- 
binos. — Steele. 

t Persons frequently poison their hands with the cOinmon wood-ivy. Contagious diseases 
are caught by touching a patient, or even his clotliing. Painters absorb so much lead 
through the jiores of their hands that they are attacked with coHc. Snuff and lard are 
frequently rubbed on the chest of a child suffering with the croup to produce vomiting, fk?^- 
men in want of water drench their clothing in salt spray, and the skin will absorb en gt 
to quench thirst. 

On an occasion of great solemnity, Pope Leo X. caused a young child to be completely 
covered with gold leaf, closely applied to the skin, so as to represent, according to the idea 
of the age, the golden glory of an angel or seraph. In a few hours after contributing to 
this pageant of pride the child died ; the cause being suffocation, from stopping the ex- 
halations of the skin ; although, in the ignorance of the coumion people of those days, the 
death was of course attributed to the anger of the Deity, and looked upon as a circumstanca 
of evil omen. 

If one is called \ipon t> handle a dead body, it is well, especially if the person has died 
of a contagious disease, to rub the hand with lard or olive-oil. Poisonous matter has been 



172 Home and Health. 

Keeping the Skin Clean. — In view of the nature and functions of the 
skin, the great importance of keeping it clean and healthy is apparent. It 
should be one of the chief themes in the list of our duties in caring for the 
health of the body to keep its pores open. To this end the bath, clean 
bed-linen, and clean, fresh clothing become not only a luxury but a necessity. 
The skin, so commonly neglected claims, and should receive, the careful at- 
tcntion of parents and instructors. 

Diseases of the Skin — Warts. — Warts are over-grown papillae. 

1. They may be removed by the application of glacial acetic acid, or a 
drop of nitric acid, repeated until the entire structure is softened. Care must 
be taken not to let the acid touch the skin. 

2. The easiest way to get rid of warts is to pare off the thickened skin 
which covers it, cut it off by successive layers ; shave it until the surface of 
the skin is reached, and until blood is drawn in several places. Kub the part 
thoroughly over with lunar caustic and the wart will generally disappear. li 
it does not, cut off the black spot caused by the caustic, and apply it again. 
Acetic acid may be used instead of caustic. 

" Grafting the Skin." — A celebrated French physician (M. Reverdin) re- 
ported to the Academy, as early as 1872, that he had for ten years been aq^ 
customed to perform veritable transplantations of the skin. He did not sew 
over the small granulations small pieces of skin, but he covered the whole 
with large flaps of skin. The cure then takes place. The pieces of skin 
may be taken either from the patient himself, or from other individuals. 
He took most of his grafts from limbs amputated on account of accidents 
occurring to men otherwise healthy. In some cases he had been obliged 
to take the pieces of skin from the patient himself in order to do away with 
the pain of the operation. The experiment proved the possibility of trans- 
planting tissues which had been subjected to a low temperature. At that 
period he demonstrated that pieces of periosteum first frozen and tlien trans- 
planted under the skin of another animal, could not only retain life, but also 
produce osseous tissues. Before practicing cutaneous transplantation he ap- 
plied to the skin a freezing mixture composed of ice and salt. When the 
skin was frozen, that is to say, when it was white, bloodless, and insensible, 

fatally absorbed through the breaking of the cuticle by a long nail or a simple scratch. 
There is a story that Napoleon I., when a lieutenant of artillery, in the heat of battle, 
seized tne rammer and worked the gun of an artillery -man who had fallen. From the wood 
which the soldier handled, Napoleon absorbed a poison which gave him a skin -disease, by 
which he was annoyed the remainder of his life. 

Cosmetics, powders, hair-dyes, etc., are exceedingly injurious, not only because thej tend 
to fill the pores of the skin, but because they often contain poisonous matters which are ab 
sorbcd into the 83'8tem. — Stkeuc's Putysioijooy. 



Care of the Skin, 173 

he cut out pieces comprising the whole of the dermis, which, when trans- 
planted on the surface of a wound, became perfectly ingrafted. 

Dr. Griffin, of Pavia, claims to have had great success by this operation 
Jn several cases of extensive burns. The grafting pieces, six in number, 
(vere solidly united after the third day, and on the twelfth the excoriations 
were reduced to half their original surfaces. 

Greased bandages, in place of adhesive strips, are preferable, as they can 
be readily removed for cleansing without danger of dragging out the grafts. 

The union of the grafts is aided by the condition of the wound, and the 
thickness and extent of the graft. Pieces from two to four millimetres in 
diameter unite most readily. It is very necessary to include part of the 
derma. 

The edges of the wound should be slightly pared whenever union is 
effected ; suppuration diminishes, the granulations become larger, the con- 
dition of the wound improves, and cicatrization is favored and accelerated. 

Cutaneous grafting as shown by high authority : 

1. In all wounds in full and uniform granulation when we wish to acceler- 
ate healing. 

2. In chronic wounds of old or cachetic persons ; in varicose ulcers with 
callous margins. 

3. In those cases of extensive wounds where spontaneous cicatrization 
would be attended with considerable retraction of the parts — burns. 

4. In wounds of hard surfaces covered with skin only, as the front of the 
tibia. 

To Remove Warts. — Warts are not only very troublesome, but disfigure 
the hands. They may be cured so as to leave no scar. 1. Take a small piece 
of raw beef, steep it all night in vinegar, cut as much from it as will cover the 
wart, and tie it on ; or, if the excresence is on the forehead, fasten it on with 
strips of plaster. It may be removed during the day, and put on every night. 
In one fortnight the wart will die and peel off. The same prescription will 
cure corns. 

2. Apply the juice from the milk-weed (Asclepias cornuti) to the wart once, 
and it will assume a chalky state, disappear, and not return. 

8. Pass a pin through the wart ; apply one end of the pin to the flame of 
a lamp ; hold it there until the wart fries under the action of the heat. A 
wart so treated will leave. 

4. If the wart is hard, a good method is to cut it off with a knife or scissors, 
and apply a little caustic to the roots. 

5. If the wart has a narrow neck, tie a silk thread or horse-hair around it, 
and it will soon drop off. A little caustic applied to the roots will prevent it 
from growing again. 



174: Home and Health. 

Chapped Lips and Hands. — 1. A good salve may be male in this way ; 
Take two 3unces of white wax, one ounce of spermaceti, four ounces of oil 
of almonds, two ounces of English honey, quarter of an ounce of esseuce of 
bergamot, or any other perfume. Melt the wax and spermaceti ; then add 
the honey, and melt all together, and when hot add the almond oil by degrees, 
stirring it till cold. This is superior to glycerine for chapped hands, sunburns, 
or any roughness on the skin. 

2. The following is a well-tested, excellent remedy for chapped hands and 
sores of this nature : Put together equal weights of fresh, unsalted butter, 
tallow, beeswax, and stoned raisins ; simmer until the raisins are done to a 
crisp, but not burned. Strain, and pour into cups to cool. Rub the hands 
thoroughly with it, and though they will smart at first, they will soon feel 
comfortable and heal quickly. 

Freckles. — 1. For the benefit of young persons aiflicted with freckles, we 
would inform them that powdered nitre, moistened with water, applied to the 
face night and morning, will soon remove all traces of them. 

2. A French journal recommends the following: Take naphthaline, ten 
parts ; biphenate of soda, one part ; tincture of benzoin, cologne, each two 
thousand parts. Mix. A tablespoonful of this is to be added to a glass of 
cold water, four to eight fluid ounces, and the face then bathed with it every 
night and morning. 

3. Apply a lotion of Yichy water for two or three minutes, night and 
morning. The skin should be allowed to dry without wiping it. 

Tan and Sunburn. — Ladies who have spent the summer in the country 
and at the seaside, may be glad to know of some simple remedies for tan and 
sunburn. When the face is burnt by exposure, it is best to bathe it with a 
little cold cream ; this simple and pleasant wash will remove the discoloration 
and swelling as if by magic, and leave the skin cool and smooth. To prevent 
tan and sunburn, take the juice of a fresh lemon and rub it in thoroughly be- 
fore going into the open air, allowing it to dry on the face ; at night dust a 
little oatmeal upon the skin, and next morning, after washing it off, apply a 
little cold cream or buttermilk. Such a simple and harmless treatment will 
be found much more effectual than the use of cosmetics, which close up the 
pores, and dry and roughen the finest complexion in a frightful way and in 
a short space of time. 

Cause and Cure of Moles. — A low tone of the blood, with a torpid 
liver, often cause the appearance of moles. The best remedy is to be foumd 
m an invigorated circulation. This will cleanse and renew the skin. 

Pimples and Sores. — Sores and pimples show that the skin does not act 
its normal part in throwing off the effete matter or waste of the system ; its 
pores having become clogged, different forms of illness result. 



The Human Skin, 



175 



THE HUMAN SKIN-ILLUSTRATION. 



Tapillse. 



Sweat 
duct. 



Epidermis 
"or cuticle. 



This section of the skin is 
represented as greatly en- 
larged under the niicro- 
scope. The top layer, or 
epidermis^ has neither 
nerves nor blood-vessels, 
and is not itself painful to 
the touch. From that part 
of it covering the scalp dry 
scales or dandruft'are con- 
stantly passing off, a large 
part of which are visible 
to the unaided eye. These 
scales are composed of the 
waste matter which pass 
out through the pores, and 
form on the surface of the 
skin. Smaller scales, chiefly 
invisible to the naked eye, 
also pass out through the 
pores which abound in 
parts of the skin. These 
small scales when exam- 
ined under the microscope 
appear exactly similar to 
the particles of dandruff, 
tlie only difference being in 
the size. The constant issue 
of this dead and useless 
waste will suggest to the 
reader the great impor- 
tance of frequent and 
tliorough washing of the 
surface of the body. 

Under the microscope we can clearly see the round cells of the cutis, 
and how they become flattened and hardened as they are forced to the sur- 
face. Says Hartley: "In one square inch of the cuticle, counting only 
those in a single layer, there are more than a billion of horny scales," 



Sweat 
glaud. 




Derma, or 
cutis vera. 



J 



176 Home and Health 

BATHING AND HEALTH. 

Fresh and Salt Water Bathing. — Salt water is a stimulant to the skin, 
and in many cases is to be preferred for the bath. It is, however, more ex- 
haustive to the system, and special care should be taken m its use by invalids 
that it should .lot be prolonged or severe. The sea water is found by experi- 
ment to be milder than salt water artificially prepared, and to possess tonic 
properties superior to the latter. 

Bathing at the Sea-side. — The sea-side resort for bathing has its special 
advantages. The shore and beach are more Ukely to be free from all products 
of decay. This does not exist in towns where the populations are massed, 
nor cai . we have it in the streams in the country where marshes and forced 
or neglected vegetation, and various other circumstances, often upset the equi- 
librium which Nature has so beautifully established between production and 
decay. " Ah ! " said one, " I love the sea, for there is no dust there." That 
seems really an adequate reason. " When we find," says another, " dust to 
mean millions of invisible particles, some of which represent life unfavorable 
to human hfe, or decay in too concentrated a form, we readily rejoice that on 
the sea and close by the sea we may be rid of many a dust-mote of disease." 

Tonic Value of Sea-side Air. — In connection with sea-side bathing 
there is value in another sense. In the air by the sea-shore carbonic acid and 
gaseous impurities are almost entirely absent, while the chlorides of the sea 
seem to impart to the air especial tonic properties. It is bracing, not merely 
in sensation, but in an actual sense. It seems as if the lungs were enabled 
to take in more oxygen, and with it more of those slight stimulants which sea- 
air contains. Under this influence the system is aroused to greater activity, 
and the effete products of the blood are more fully consumed. Then there is 
more active assimilation and construction to make up for this lawful destruc- 
tion. It has been well said that this " is the kind of blood-purifier that does 
not need a patent, and has a real significance." 

A Caution in Sea-side Bathing. — " We love this air of the sea," writes 
a correspondent, " and taken aright, which one soon learns, it is a tonic to 
diink in with exquisite delight. That does not mean that an invalid should 
face an ocean storm, or that he should ever allow himself to get chilly; for, 
though -old is often healthful, real chilliness never is. To be borne at all, it 
must be very temporary. If you do not know how to breathe, and forget that 
the nose is the chimney, and rush to the sea with the mouth wide open and a 
5'ell, you may get as hoarse as the waves, and be the shoi^n lamb to which the 
wind will not be tempered. But, if only very briefly, you will adjust yourself 
to th :• changed air, avoid at first the dampness of morning or evening, and 
have changes of clothing ready to adjust to changes of temperature, it 



Bathing and Health. 177 

IB not difficult to avoid contingencies, and to get the full vigor of the ocean 
life." 

Peril at Crowded Sea-side Resorts. — A great danger has arisen at 
some of the attractive localities opened for the convenience of bathers. This 
danger has come from the large crowds of people which gather there, and the 
close contact of residences and other buildings, the lack of good drainage, 
and of waste removal, and of the consequent befoulment of the air. Wheic 
this danger exists, the visits of the bathers should be of brief duration. No 
one can afford to breathe, even for a night, an atmosphere polluted by the 
excreta of a crowded population where there is a deficiency of good drainage. 

Season for Sea-Bathing. — In the middle Atlantic States the bathing 
season extends from the middle of June to the middle of September. Far- 
ther north the season is shorter, and farther south longer. In the middle 
States, if there are no indications of unhealthfulness of the place, the sea- 
son may be safely extended from four to six weeks later. 

Duration of the Sea Bath. — On this head much ignorance prevails, and 
much damage to health and needless delays in the cure of disease are caused 
by such ignorance. Very many persons, especially of the younger class, stay 
in the \\ ater until they are tired, and are often surprised that they should pay 
the tax for their rashness in subsequent suffering from some one or more of 
the following disorders, namely : Defective reaction, as shown by paleness of 
the skin, blueuess of the lips, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, rheumatic pains, 
headache, bronchitis in those with a delicate chest, earache, fullness of the 
head, giddiness, and various spasmodic affections. From the same cause arises 
disturbed digestion, manifested by pains of the stomach, nausea, and diarrhoea. 

Proper Limitation of Sea-Bathing. — The allowable range is far short 
of that in common practice. It ought to be from a single immersion, plunge, 
or dip, to a bath of a quarter of an hour's duration. We refer now in a more 
particular manner to invalids. Nervous women, long affected witt disease, 
and depressed by other causes, ought not to take more ti*^an one or two, or, 
at the most, three immersions. Children of a tender age, and of a 1) mphatic 
constitution, should not remain longer in the water than from one mmute to 
three minutes. Equally restricted should be the period allowed to very young 
girls and young women who are subject to cough, and shooting pains through 
the breast and shoulders ; and so on, in graduating scale, for other classes 
of invahds. 

Those who have palsy of the lower limbs bear, and even require, a bath of 
tweity, and even twenty-five minutes, alternating with a douche or spout 
bath over the spine. Invalids in this class, and strong subjects, who are suf- 
ferers from nervous pains of a rheumatic character, bear two baths daily, 
namely, in the morning and in the evening. 
12 



178 Home and Health. 

Plunge- Bathing. — The practice of plunging head foremost into tlie watei 
is not to be commended. Some of the kinds of headache attributed to bath- 
ing originate, in reality, from this precipitate kind of immersion. Only the 
strong should practice it. 

Surf-Bathing. — This kind of sea-bathing is a luxury to those who are 
strong and vigorous. An eminent physician, however, expresses the opinion 
that the high surf which many seek, is more harmful than helpful to a ma- 
jority of those who indulge in it. A low or gentle surf is to be preferr?d. We 
strongly recommend the erection of strong inclosures in the surf in such man- 
ner as to permit the free ebb and flow of the tide, and yet break the force of 
the surf wave. Such enclosures in time of the heavy surf would be exceed- 
ingly serviceable to a large proportion of sea-side bathers. 

Best Hour of the Day for Bathing. — A rule of the most general, if not 
universal, application is, that the bath should be taken before a meal, and 
never on a full stomach, or during the first stages of digestion. By general 
consent, a morning hour is preferred for sea-bathing. Comparatively few, 
however, choose the time before breakfast for the purpose. Invalids with a 
cold skin and languid circulation will require a slight refreshment — a cup of 
good chocolate, a plate of plain soup, or a soft-boiled egg with a roll — before 
bathing. If an early or noon-day dinner be taken, an evening bath may be 
used with advantage, and in some cases it is found to agree better with inva- 
lids than in the morning. 

For the most part, bathing at the watering places in the United States is 
undoubtedly begun too soon after breakfast, certainly before the digestion of 
the meal in the stomach is half completed. As a general rule, we are safe in 
directing invalids to bathe before breakfast, if they rise with a warm and even 
hot skin, and reach the water before they can be said to have lost the warmth 
of the bed, or after they have been put in a glow by exercise. 

Condition of the Body Before Bathing. — To persons who awake in i 
perspiration, or whose skin at the time is moist with sweat, bathing under suca 
circumstances would be injurious. The rule is, to bathe when the skin is 
warm, or hot and dry, and not when it is chilled or perspiring. Reaction and 
glow Avill follow in the first case ; chilliness and headache, and pains in the 
limbs will be no uncommon result in the last. Great exhaustion after fatiguing 
exercises forbids the use of the sea to the same extent as the fresh water bath ; 
and hence there is danger in rushing immediately into the sea after a long 
and fatiguing jouruey. 

Helpful Accessories to Bathing. — Exercise. — In most cases the benefit 
of the bath would be considerably increased if followed by light and instant 
exercise. Walking in the open air at such a time is to be preferred. This 
keeps up the glow obtained by the thorough towel rubbing of the body m 



Bathing and Health. 179 

dressing, and extends tlu- benefit of such glow to the internal organs of the 
body. 

Avoid Exposure. — Avoid ehilling the body by sitting or standing un 
dressed on the banks or in boats, after having been in the water, or remain- 
ing too long in the water, but leave the water immediately there is the slight- 
est feeling of chilliness. 

Bathing In-doors. — This should be frequent and thorough. The bath 
room ^Biiould be an essential part of every dwelling. Every person should use 
it for ''health's sake" once a week, at least. In many cases twice a week 
would be still better, and in some cases a daily bath would be useful. When 
taken frequently, it should be used only for a few minutes. 

Benefit of a "Towel Bath." — A thorough rubbing daily, first with a 
coarse and then \s ith a soft towel, immediately after the morning wash, is al- 
ways healthful, provided it can be done without chilliness or exhaustion of the 
strength. Continue the towel exercise until the body is thoroughly dry, and 
until the glow of the skin becomes assured. 

Temperature of Baths. — The cold bath is a tonic, and must be used with 
caution. The tepid and warm bath is slightly tonic and sedative, and induces 
sleep. It should generally be taken immediately before retiring. Hot baths 
are debilitating when used for any length of time. It is very rarely beneficial 
to take hot baths unless they are followed at once by a cold shower-bath to 
tone down the system. 

It is the custom of many persons to have a cold water bath immediately on 
leaving their beds as a daily habit. Nevertheless, but few persons know how 
to use cold water judiciously for bathing purposes. Delicately-organized ladies 
frequently have established the same course, considering it conducive to 
health. There is an impression that it invigorates the individual, hardens the 
uiuscles, and strengthens the constitution. The sudden abstraction of caloric 
or vital warmth in that way has not only injilred but destroyed more than 
were ever benefited thereby. The reaction, as it is called, a glow of warmth 
that subsequently follows, is a direct draft upon the system to ineet a sudden 
loss of vitality, and is by no means so beneficial as theoretically imagined. A 
tepid bath makes no such injurious demands, and therefore it is not so injur- 
ious 01 perilous for those of a frail structure. 

The Best Bath for Children. — We have no hesitation in recommending 
a warm bath early in the day, followed by a simple douche of cold water, as 
far preferable to the cold bath ; or a warm bath at night for the sake of 
cleanliness, and none at all in the morning. It may be taken as a rule that, 
in the case of children, sudden changes of temperature are dangerous, and 
that 58 degrees to 60 degrees may be taken a*? the safe average temperature 
in which they should be constantly kept. 



180 Home and Health. 

Turkish and Russian Baths. — The only difference between Turkish and 
Russian baths is, that in the former the bather is first submitted to hot air, 
and in the latter to hot vapor. The processes of shampooing, showering, 
plunging, rubbing, and kneading, are the same in both. In both baths the 
bather reclines for some time, until he is thrown by the hot air or vapor into 
a profuse perspiration. He is then rubbed by an attendant, and afterward 
receives a shower or douche of cold water. The duration of the bath de- 
pends upon the constitution and habits of the bather, and may be two 
minutes or two hours. These baths are of excellent service in rheumatism, 
neuralgia, and various nervous conditions, aside from their general cleansing 
an 1 invigorating qualities. 

Medicated Baths. — The alkaline bath is especially efficient ui curing 
itching and other diseases of the skin, and is made by putting eight ounces 
of impure carbonate of potash into thirty gallons of tepid , water. 

The nitro-muriatic bath is for diseases of the liver, and is composed of two 
ounces of nitric acid, three ounces of muriatic acid, and ten and a half gallons 
of water. 

Convenient Vapor Baths. — Simple and convenient vapor baths may be 
made by placing a large pan or pail containing boiling water under a cane- 
bottom chair. The patient seats himself upon it, enveloped from head to foot 
in a blanket, which covers the bath as well. * Sulphur, spirit, herbal, and 
other baths, may be obtained in the same manner. They should not be taken 
unless prescribed by a physician. 

Electric Baths. — In these baths electricity is diffused through the water 
of the bath-tub. Special advantages arise from the improved method of 
applying electricity in the treatment of disease, over the more ordinary meth- 
ods. The friends of this system argue that water, at blood temperature, is a 
better conductor of electricity than the human body ; hence the diffusion of 
the electric current through the water, and to the whole periphery of the body, 
intensifies and insures more certain results. Moreover, they claim its influence 
thus conditioned, in promoting the absorption of medicines dissolved in the 
water, and its power "through chemical affinity, to facilitate the elimination 
from the body of certain metallic substances, and to further the absorption of 
morbid deposits." A number of cases are related in support of the theories 
advanced, and a category of diseases given deemed to be especially amenable 
tr this kind of treatment. 

Hot Sand Baths. — One of the most attractive therapeutical novelties for 
some lime past in London — recently introduced from the Conime.it — consists 
in the erection of establishments for administering hot sand baths as a 
remedy for rheumatism, recent cases of nervous disorders, affections of the 
kidneys, and all cases where heat is needed as the chief remedial agent. The 



Bathing cmd Health. 181 

R(l vantages claimed in behalf of this jnethod of treatment arc, that it does not 
suppress respiration, like the hot water bath, but rather mereases it, and doea 
not interfere with the respiration, after the manner of the steam bath or 
Turkish bath. It is found that the body can endure the influence of thia 
kind of bath for a much longer time, and a much higher temperature can he 
appHed. 

Bathing Dresses. — A bathing dress for the summer is almost as much a 
nne qua non as a morning dress, for few ladies like to subject themselves to 
the chances of such as can be hired from the proprietors of bathing-houses ; 
while for those who spend the summer near salt water the cost of the mate- 
rial would be absorbed in a very few days. There is no doubt that the less 
cumbersom* the clothing the more beneficial the bath, and ladies who are for- 
tunate in having private bathing places will find a flannel dress, made with a 
loose blouse waist and short closed drawers, very nearly perfection ; but for the 
ordinary bather, who has to take her chances with many others, there is no 
better design than the one which serves also as a gymnastic suit, and consists 
of a sailor blouse, skirt f^Dd trousers. The skirt is plain in front, and there 
is no more fullness in either blouse or skirt than is necessary to its good ap- 
pearance. The amount of material required for this entire suit is little less 
than nine yards. Twilled flannel, dark blue or Russian gray, is the most serv- 
iceable material for bathing dresses, as it does not chill or hold the water. 
White, black, or red braids are the usual trimmings, put on broad and in 
clusters, or simply as bindings, according to taste. 

Twenty-two Brief Hints to Bathers. — In the preceding paragraphs we 
indicated the principles and methods which should govern the habit of bath- 
ing. We now subjoin a summary of directions to bathers, which are con- 
densed from an admirable work by Dr. R. M. Trail : 

1. Never bathe soon after eating. 

2. A full bath should not be taken less than three hours after a full meal. 

3. Do not take any cold bath when in a state of chilliness or fatigue. 

4. Always have the feet comfortably warmed, by fire, hot water, or exer- 
cise, at the time of taking any cold bath. 

5. If inclmed to headache, wet the head with cool svater before bathing. 

6. Never drink cold water just before bathing. 

7. Do not eat soon after bathing. An hoUr should elapse after a full batk, 
and half an hour after a local bath before taking the meal. 

8. Local baths, as hip, foot, etc., may be taken an hour after a light, and 
I wo hours after a full meal. 

9. Patients who are able should exercise before and after bathing. 

10. If not able to exercise, and inclined to chilliness, they should cover up 
in bed for an hour after bathing. 



182 Home and Health. 

11. No strcng shock, by means of the shower or douche, should be made 
on the head. 

12. After bathing do not sit in a draught of cold air, nor allow the feet to 
become cold, 

13. Avoid all very cold or very hot baths in all cases of great debility, 
local congestions, or determinations of blood to particular parts ; also al) 
processes which disturb the circulation, as shower, douche, and plunge baths. 

14. Great heat of the body is no objection to any form or kind of bath, 
providing the respiration is not disturbed, nor the patient in a state of fa- 
tigue. 

15. When two or more baths are administered daily the principal and cold- 
est one should be taken in the fore part of the day. 

16. All full baths, except the warm, are better in the morning or forenoon 
than in the afternoon or evening. 

17. When baths are taken regularly every day, they should be omitted oc- 
casionally, as one day in a week, or two or three days in a month. 

1 8. Whenever the patient feels dependent on any particular form of bath, 
and persists that he cannot do without it, some other should be substituted 
for a few days. 

19. Patients should never take a bath so cold that fatiguing exercise is 
necessary to " get up reaction." The better way is to use water of a milder 
temperature. 

20. Very feeble persons should have the water for all bathing purposes at 
nearly the neutral temperature, which is ninety degrees, varying but a few 
degrees above or below. 

21. Pleasurable sensations for the time are no evidence that the bath is 
useful. Very cold or very hot baths may be succeeded by agreeable feelings, 
but be very wasteful of vitaUty. 

22. The temperatire of the bathing-room should always be comfortably 
warmed and well vei tilated. For invaUds the temperature should be ^event) 
to eighty degrees. 



SLEEP AND HEALTH. 

Sleep a Necessity. — Sleep is a necessity. Without it we would suffer 
speedy dissolution. Every act that we perform, every movement we make, ev 
ery thought that passes through our minds, every emotion that stirs our souls, 
breaks down a certain amount of nervous tissue, and leaves us weaker than 
before. These broken cells can be repaired during sleep only. The system, 
exhausted by physical and mental labor during the day, n:iust be built up and 
strengthened for the next day's work during the dark, still hours of niglit. 



Sleep mid Health. 183 

while the senses are locked in slumber, and the mind and muscles are all re- 
laxed ; for at no other time is this process of building up earned on. 

What Sleep will Cure. — The cry for rest has always been louder than 
the cry for food. Not that it is more important, but it is often harder to get. 
The best rest comes from sound sleep. Of two men or women, otherwise 
equal, the one who sleeps the best will be the most devotional, healthy, and 
efficient. Sleep will do much to cure irritability of temper, peevishness, un- 
easiness. It will cure insanity. It will build up and make strong a weary 
r.ody. It will do much to cure dyspepsia, particularly that variety known as 
nervous dyspepsia. It will relieve the languor and prostration felt by con- 
sumptives. It will cure hypochondria. It will cure the headache. It will 
cure neuralgia. » It will help cure a broken spirit. It will help cure sorfow. 

How We Go to Sleep. — The muscles which move the arms and legs 
usually become relaxed before those which maintain the body in an erect po- 
sition. In relation to the social senses, that of sight is the first lost, the eye- 
lids forming a barrier between the retina and the external world ; but, inde- 
pendently of eyelids, if they had been removed by the surgeon, or could not 
be closed by disease, this is still the first sense whose function is abolished. 
Some animals, as the hare, do not shut their eyes when asleep ; and in cases of 
somnambulism, the eyes remain open, although the sense of sight is tempo-, 
rarily abolished, and their acuteness is much lessened. 

Taste is the next to disappear, and then smell ; hearing follows, and touch 
is the most persistent of the senses. So, conversely, a person is most easily 
awakened by the sense of touch ; next in order by sounds, and then by smell. 

Position During Sleep. — The recumbent position has much to do with 
sleep. Undoubtedly sleep may occur in the sitting posture, and even while 
standing ; but these cases are exceptional. It is certain, also, that sleep in 
bed is generally sounder with a low pillow than with a high one. If, there- 
fore, there l)e a state of wakefulness at night, the head should be kept low ; 
if, on the contrary, there is undue sleepiness, the head should be kept high. 
The degree of sleep, and its amount, may be regulated by simply taking care 
that the head is in the right position. If prolonged recumbency is a neces- 
sary part of the treatment, the tendency to sleep too much during the day 
And too little at night may be thus corrected. 

Why High Pillows are Injurious. — It is often a question among peo- 
ple who are unacquainted with anatomy and physiology, whether lying with 
heed exalted or on a level Avith the body is the more unwholesome. Most, con- 
suliiug their o^ : case on this point, argue in favor of that which they prefer. 
Now, although many delight in bolstering up their heads at night, and sleep 
soundly without injury, yet it is a dangerous habit. The vessels in which the 
blood passes from the heart to the head are always lessened in their cavities 



18 J: Home and Health. 

when the head is resting in bed higher than the body ; therefore, in all dis 
eases attended with fever the head should be pretty nearly on a level with 
the body ; and people ought to accustom themselves to sleep thus and avoid 
danger. 

Sleeping on the Back or Side, Which? — It is not best to sleep mtinly 
on the back, but it is well to alternate, and sleep occasionally on either side, 
not always on the right, nor always on the left, but on both. The right side 
is better of the two sides to lie upon for any length of time, as it leaves the 
action of the heart free, and precludes the probability of undue pressure on 
any of the large blood-vessels ; but generally the body may be allowed to 
select its own position. 

Evil Eflfects of Sleeping Exclusively on One Side.,^The question 
is often put to physicians, " Why is my head lop-sided or larger on one 
side ? " It may be accounted for by always lying on one side. Young moth- 
ers are apt to place the child always in one position when putting it to bed, 
and the skull being soft and thin, the brain grows most on the under side, 
and finally assumes permanently this irregular and uneven shape. In cholera 
times, or when the bowels are cold, constipated, and inactive, it is well to lie 
on the breast, and thus keep the bowels warm. 

Amount of Sleep Necessary. — It is impossible to lay down rules regu- 
lating the amount of sleep necessary for each individual ; some persons need 
much more than others. The amount necessary depends much upon the age, 
health, temperament, and climate. 

Testimony of an Experienced Farmer. — Said one of the oldest and 
most successful farmers in this country : " I do not care to have my men get 
up before five or half-past five in the morning, and if they go to bed early 
and can sleep soundly, they will do more work than if they got up at four or 
half-past four. We do not believe in the eight-hour law, but nevertheless 
are inclined to think that, as a general rule, we work too many hours on the 
farm. The best man we ever had to dig ditches seldom worked, when digging 
by the rod, more than nine hours a day. And it is so in chopping wood by 
the cord ; the men who accomplish the most work the fewest hours. They 
l)ring all their brain and muscle into exercise and make every blow tell. A 
slow, plodding Dutchman may turn a grindstone or a fanning-mill better than 
an energetic Yankee, but this kind of work is now mostly done by horse- 
power, and the farmer needs above all else a clear head, with all his facul- 
ties of mind and muscle light and active, and under complete control. Much, 
of course, depends on temperament ; but as a rule such men need sound sleep 
and plenty of it,* 

* When a boy on the farm I was told that Napoleon needed only four hours' sleep, and 
the old nonsense of "five hours for a man, six hours for a woman, and seven hours for 



Sleep and Health. 185 

Waking Children. — We caution parents particularly not to allow their 
children to be waked up in the mornings ; let nature wake them up ; she will 
not do it prematurely ; but have a care that they go to bed at an early hour ; 
let it be earlier and earlier, until it is found that they wake up themselves in 
full time to dress for breakfast. Being waked up early and allowed to en- 
gage in difficult or any studies late, and just before retiring, has given many 
a beautiful and promising child brain fever, or determined ordinary ailments 
to the production of water on the brain. Infants cannot sleep too long, and 
it is i^ favorable symptom when they enjoy a calm and long-continued rest. 
They shouid^ever be awakened, and thus deprived of the greatest support 
nature has given them. 

Best Hours for Sleeping. — Sleep obtained two hours before midnight, 
when the negative forces are in operation, is the rest which most recuperates 
the system, giving brightness to the eye and a glow to the cheek. The differ- 
ence in the appearance of a person who habitually retires' at ten o'clock and 
that of one who sits up until twelve, is quite remarkable. The tone of the 
system, so evident in the complexion, the clearness and sparkle of the eye, 
and the softness of the lines of the features, is, in a person of health, kept 
at " concert pitch " by taking regular rest two hours before twelve o'clock, 
and thereby obtaining the '* beauty sleep " of the night. There is a heaviness 
of the eye, a sallowness of the skin, and an absence of that glow in the face 
which renders it fresh in expression and round in appearance, that readily 
distinguishes the person who keeps late hours. 

Kiss the Children a " Happy Good Night." — If we go to sleep in a 
happy frame of mind it will help much toward a refi^eshiug slumber. A 
cheerful *' good night " and an affectionate kiss (if there is sufficient sponta- 
neity about it to make it worth any thing) are decidedly healthful for the lit- 
tle ones. Never scold or give lectures, or in any way wound a child's feelings 
as it goes to bed. Let all banish business and worldly care at bed-time, and 
let sleep come to a mind at peace with God and all the world. 

The Great Pleasure of Sleep. — Let us all cherish the thought of our 
approach to sleep, of which some unknown writer has beautifully said: "It 
is a delicious moment: the feeling that we are safe, that we shall drop gently 
to i>leep. The good is to come, not past. The limbs have been just tired 

fool," Is often quoted, but the truth is, that Napoleon was enabled, in a great measure, to ac- 
coinpHsh what he did from the foculty of sleeping soundly — of sleeping when he slept and 
wo/king when he worked. His favorite traveling carriages were so arranged that he 
could lie down at full length, and when dashing through the country as fust as eight horses, 
frequently changed, could carry him, he slept soundly, and when he arrived at his destina- 
tion was as fresh as if he had risen from a bed of down. Let farmers, and especially farm- 
ers' boys, have plenty to eat, nothing to " drink," and all the sleep they can take. — Ameri- 
ciiv y J' icuUurist. 



18G Home and Health. 

enough to render the remaining in one position delightful, and the labor ol 
the day is done. A gentle failing of the perceptions comes slowly creeping 
over us ; the consciousness disengages itself more and more with slow and 
hushing degrees, like a fond mother detaching her hand from that of her 
sleeping child ; the mind seems to have a balmy lid closed, closed altogether, 
viid the mysterious spirit of sleep has gone to take its airy rounds." 

" Sleeping Alone." — It is not well to place a very young person in the 
same bed with a very old one, as the younger in such a case will suffer by a 
loss of vitality and heat. One in a bed is better than two, especially whei": 
there is a great contrast in age. ^ 

Are Feather-beds Unhealthy ? — Feathers make a very unhealthy 
bed, because they retain the heat and keep the temperature of the body too 
high, thus debilitating the skin and rendering the system liable to contract 
colds ; they also retain the moisture and waste matter thrown out by the 
lymphatic, which is absorbed, producing disease. A dry straw bed, or, what 
is better, a hair mattress, should be used. 

In what Direction Shall the Bed Stand ? — Sleeping-rooms should al- 
ways be so arranged, if possible, as to allow the head of the sleeper to be 
turned toward the north. Frequently, in cases of sickness, a person will 
find it impossible to obtain rest if his head is in any other direction, and 
often a cure is retarded for a long time. This arrangement for the sleeper 
puts him in harmony with the electrical currents caused by the motion of 
the earth on its axis. Try this and see. 

Sleep for the Invalid. — An eminent English physician says that a large 
allowance of sleep to the invalid is possessed of eminent sanitary advantages. 
" Nothing," he remarks, " is equal to eight or nine hours of undisturbed re- 
pose. Take it through the night, or partially through the day and night, but 
secure enough, and the beneficial effects will not fail to show themselves." 
In one portion Of his essay he adds a hint specially for city invalids : " Go to 
bed by nine o'clock and sleep till six or seven. Do not sit up till ten or 
eleven and rise at five, for if you do, no dieting or exercise can supply the 
vaste of the system." 

Lack of Sleep Causes Leanness. — Dr. Dio Lewis puts the following sug- 
gestive incident on record : — 

A very thin young lady of about twenty years, with a friend, came to con- 
Bult me about her " skin and bones." I had frequently met her when she 
seemed even more emaciated, but now she " would give the world to be 
plump." Sitting down in front of me, she began with : — 

" Don't you think, doctor, that I look very old for twenty ?" 

I admitted that she looked rather old for twenty. 

" Can any thing be done for me ? What can I do ? I would be willing to 



Slee][> cmd Health. 187 

take a hundred bottles of the wors: stuff in the world if I could onlj^ gel 
some fut on these boues. A friend of mine (her beau) was saying yesterday 
that he would give a fortune to see me round and plump." 

" Would you be willing to go to the Cliff Springs in Arkansas? " 

"I would start to-morrow." 

"But the waters are very bad to drink," I said. 

"I don't care how bad they are; I know I can drink them." 

" I asked you whether you were willing to go to the Arkansas Springs tc 
test the strength of your purpose. It is not necessary to leave your home. 
Nine people out of ten can become reasonably plump without such a sac- 
rifice." 

'•Why, doctor, I am delighted to hear it; but I suppose it is a lot of some 
bitter stuff." 

"Yes, it is a pretty bitter dose, and has to be taken every night." 

" T don't care; I would take it if it was twice as bad. What is it? What 
is the name of it? 

" The technical name of the stuff is htdibus nined'dockihus.'''' 

" Why, doctor, what an awful name ! I am sure I will never be able to 
speak it. Is there no common English word for it ? " 

" 0, yes. The English for it is, ' You must be in bed every night at nine 
o'clock.' " 

" 0, that is dreadful ! I thought it was something I could takey 

" It is. You must take your bed every night before the clock strikes nine." 

"No; but what I thought was that you would give^me something in a 
bottle to take." 

" Of course, I know very well what you thought. That's the way with all 
of you." 

One person eats enormously of ricli food till his ptomach and liver refuse 
to budge ; then he cries out, " 0, doctor, wliat can I take ? I must take some- 
thing." 

Another fills his system with tobacco until his nerves are ruined, rmd 
then, trembling and full of horrors, he exclaims, " 0, doctor, what shall 1 
take?" I write a prescription out for \\\m — Quitibus Ghaivibus et Smokihns 

I will suppose my patient is not a classical scholar, as I am sure my reader 
is, and so I translate it for him into English. He cries out at once: — 

"0, doctor, I thought you would give me something to take." 

Another sits up till thirteen or fourteen o'clock, leads a life of theaters and 
other dissipations, becomes pale, dyspeptic, and wretched, and then Hies to 
the doctor, and cries, " 0, doctor, what shall I take? What shall I take? " 

" Now, madam, you are distressed because your lover has been looking at 
your skin and bones." 

"But, doctor, you arc entirely — " 



188 Home and Health. 

"0 well, we'll say nothing about him, then. But tell me, what time do 

you go to bed ? " 

** Generally about twelve o'clock." 

" Yes, I thought so. Now, if you will go to bed every night for six months 
at nine o'clock, without making any change in your habits, you will gain ten 
pounds in weight and look five years younger. Your skin will become fresa, 
and your spirits improve wonderfully." 

" I'll do it. Though, of course, when I have company and iuring the opera 
^ can't do it." 

It is regularity that does the business. To siL up till 12 o'clock three 
nights in the week, and then get to bed at 9 o'clock four nights, one might 
think would do very well, and that at any rate it would be " so far so good." 
I don't think this every other night early and every other night lale is much 
better than every night late. It is regularity tliat is vital in the case. Even 
sitting up one night in the week deranges thenervons system for the wliole 
^eek. I have sometimes thought that those people who sit up till 1 1 oi ^ ? ' 
o'clock every night get on <^'ute as well as those who turn in eavly six nighth 
and then sit up once a week till midnight. 

Regularity in sleep is every bit as important as regularity in food. 

At length my patient exclaimed, "Doctor, I will go to bed every night foi 
p'xx months b'^ore nine o'clock if it kills me, or rather if it breaks the hearts 
'.{ all my frieiit/s." 

She did it. Twenty-one pounds was the gain in five months. Her spirits 
were happily enlivened, and she spent half her time in telling her friends of 
her deligla with the new habit. She had no further cause to complain ol 
skm and he aes, and she had the special gratification of appearing more at- 
tractive in the eyes of her lover. 

Sleeplessness — How to Prevent It. — Sleep is a powerful antidote to a 
long list of nervous ailments. Sleeplessness is an evil which should be re- 
moved without delay. The following are among the good rules which, if ob- 
served, will usually bring relief to those afflicted with chronic sleeplessness 

1. A good clean bed. 

2. Sufficient exercise to produce weariness, and pleasant occupation. 

5. Grood air and not too warm a room. 
4, Freedom from too much care. 

6. A clear stomach. 

6. A clear conscience. 

7. Avoidance of stimulants and narcotics. 

Sleeplessness — How to Cure It. — Nervous persons, who are troubled 
with wakefulness and exc itability, usually have a strong tendency of blood 
to the brain, with cold extremities. The pressure of blood on the brain 
keeps it in a stimulated or wakeful state, and the pulsations in the head ar^ 



Sleejp cmd Health, 189 

often painful. Let such persons note the following suggestions, which are 
collected from various sources : 

Rise and chafe the body and extremities with a crash >'wel, or rub 
smartly with the hands to promote circulation, and withdraw the excef^sive 
amount of blood from the brain, and sleep will follow in a few mini:i«3. 

A cold bath, or a sponge bath and rubbing, or a good run, or a rapid walk 
in the open air, or going up and down stairs a few times just before retiring, 
will aid in equalizing circulation and promoting sleep. 

Wet half a towel, apply it to the back of the neck, pressing it up toward 
the base of the brain, and fasten the dry half of the towel over so as to 
prevent the too-rapid exhalation. The effect is prompt and charming, cool- 
ing the brain and inducing calmer, sweeter sleep than any narcotic. Warm 
water may be used, though most persons will prefer it cold. To those suffer- 
ing frcm over-excitement of the brain, whether the result of brain-work or 
of pressing anxiety, this simple remedy is an especial boon. 

Sometimes any mental exei cise which concentrates the mind on one sub- 
ject will bring relief. 

Playing a game of skill, such as checkers or chess, demonstrating a diffi- 
cult proposition in geometry, or solving an arithmetical oi algebraical prob- 
lem, has often led to this mental condition, and been followed by a good 
sleep, which otherwise seemed impossible. 

One of the very best meth(yds of "courting sleep" is that of counting. 
Breathe deeply and slowly (wilhout any straining effort) and with every res- 
piration count one, two, three, etc., up to a hundred. Some persons will «)e 
asleep before they count fifty in this manner. Others will count ten, twenty, 
or thirty, and then forget themselves and cease counting. In such c.^es al- 
Tays commence again at one. Very few persons can count one hunr'.red and 
find themselves awake ; but should this happen repeat the dose until cured. 
Counting in some other language, as German or Latin, is very good. 

If sleepless at night on account of the heat, try the effect of warm water 
upon the feet. If that does not give relief, try the virtues of a warm bath, 
out not often, as its frequent use debilitates. 

An Eminent Clergyman's Advice. — Dr. Alexander was often heard 
10 say in substance as follows: "Clergymen, authors, teachers, and othei 
men of reflective habits, lose much health by losing sleep, and this because 
they carry tlicir trains of thought to bed with them. The best thing one can 
do is take care of the last half hour before retiring. Devotions being ei.ded, 
something may be done to quiet the strings of the harp, which otheiwise 
would go on to vibrate. Let me commend to you this maxim, which I some- 
where learned from Dr. Watts, who says that in his boyhood he received it 
from the lips of Dr. John Owen — a very good pedigree for a maxim : Break 
the chain of thoughts at bed-time by something at once serious and agreeable. 



190 Home ajstd Healih. 

By all i.^^ins break the continuity, or sleep will be vexed, if not driven awa). 
If you wish to know my method, it is to turn over the pages of my English 
Bible, alighting on a passage here, a passage there, backward and forward 
without plan, and without allowing my mind to fasten on any, leaving any 
place the moment it ceases to interest me. Some tranquilizing word often 
becomes a divine blessing of peace. ' He giveth his beloved sleep.' " 

Slumber at Will. — The following is given in " Bliim's Anatomy of Sleep ; 
cr, the Art of Procuring Sound and Refreshing Slumber at Will," published 
m Loudon in 18i2. The principal feature of Blinn's system is for the patient 
to fix his att<,'ntion on his own breathing. " He must depict to himself that 
be sees the breath passing from his nostrils in a continuous stream, and the 
very instant that he brings his mind to conceive this, apart from all other 
ideas, consciousness and memory depart; imagination slumbers, fancy be- 
comes dormant, thought subdued ; the sentient faculties lose their suscepti- 
bility, the vital or ganglionic system assumes sovereignty — and he no longer 
V. aI-Cs, but sleeps." 

Sleep Procured by Medicine is .sreiy as beneficial as that secured 
laturally. The disturbance to the nervous system is often sufficient to coun- 
terbalance all the good results. The habit of seeking sleep in this way, with 
o'it tl'.e advice of a physician, is to be deprecated. The dose must be con- 
siantly increased to produce the effect, and thus great injury may be caused. 
Often, tco, where laudanum or morphine is used, the person unconsciously 
'•omes into a terrible and fatal bondagt. Especially should infants never bo 
dr.fed with cordials, as is the common iamily practice. The damage done to 
helpless childhood by the ignorant and reckless use of soothing-syrups i* 
frightful to contemplate. 

" A Pillow for the Sleepless." — A friend once told me, says Rev. H. 
Woodv ard, that, among other symptoms of high nervous excitement, he had 
been pamfully harassed for the want of sleep. To such a degree had this pro- 
ceeded, that if in the course of the day any occasion led him to his bed- 
chamber, the sight of his bed made him shudder at the idea of the wretched 
and restless hours he had to pass upon it. 

In this case it was recommended to him to endeavor, when he laid down at 
night, to fix his mind on something at tlie same time vast and simple — such 
as the wide ocean, or the cloudless vault of heaven ; that the little hurried 
and disturbed images that flitted before his mind might be charried away, or 
hushed to rest, by the calming influences of one absorbing thought. 

Though not at all a religious man at the time, this advice suggested to his 
nund that if an object, at once vast and simple, was to be selected for medi- 
tation, nothing could serve his purpose so well as the thought of God. He re- 
so ved to make the trial and think of him. The result exceeded his mos* 



Sleep and Health. 191 

sanguine hopes; in thinking of God he fell asleep. Night after night he re 
sorted to the same expedient. The process Ijecame delightful ; so much so 
that he used to long for the usual hour for retiriug, that he might fall asleep, 
as he termed it, in God. What began as a mere physical operation, grew \v' 
imperceptible degrees into a gracious influence. The same God who was hi* 
repose by night was in all his thoughts by day, and at the time this pcrscit 
epoke to me, God, as revealed in the Gospel of his Son, was " all his ^alvatioc 
and all his desire." So various arc the means and inscrutable the ways br 
wliich God can " fetch home the banished." 

Sleeping Hints. — Sleep is the best known form of rest, and yet it is only 
pai-tial, for scarcely any part of the body is completely at rest. The heart 
beats, the blood courses, the lungs and skin are active. 

In sleep the volume of blood in the brain is dimini.slicd. Remedies which 
diminish the amount of blood in the brain (as bromide of potassium) are pro- 
motive of sleep. 

Sleep is a good thermometer of health. Whatever improves the sleep of 
an invalid betters his condition. ' 

Sleep with the mouth shut. Will to do it and persevere, and you will suc- 
ceed. 

Wash the body before sleeping, especially after a day of dust or sweat- 
ing. 

Exhalations through the skin are more abundant while asleep than when 
awake ; therefore the bed should be well aired before it is made up. 

In youth more sleep is needed tlian in old age, when nature makes few per- 
Tianent repairs, and is content with temporary expedients. In general, one 
should sleep until he naturally wakes. 

" I have nothing to say about feather beds," says a lecent writer. *' None 
of our family like them ; but I would willingly provide one for an elderly per- 
son to whom habit had made it seem a necessity." 

Short Sleepers. — Lord Brougham, and many other great statesmen and 
lawyers, contented themselves with a remarkably small quantity of sleep. Fred- 
erick the Great slept only five hours out of every twenty-four ; John ITimtor, 
five hours ; General Elliot, the hero of Gibraltar, four hours , the Did<c of 
Wellington, in some of his campaigns, less than four hours ; Wes'(\v, A^ix hours. 
The brevity of their sleep did not prevent their enjoyment of good health, 
nor their living to a good old age. 

Living Without Sleep. — Five young men in Berlin lately m ide an agree- 
ment, for a wager, to see who of them could keep awake for a whole week. 
They all held out for about five days and a half i^y diinking largely of stroiiL' 
coffee, and keeping up a constant round of active exercises and exciting 
amusements. At the end of that time t^o «€ them yielded to drowsiness ; 



192 Home and Health. 

a third soon fell asleep while riding, tumbled from bis Badlle, and broke hi'^ 
arm ; a fourth was attacked by severe sickness, and compelled to retire from 
the list ; the fifth held out to the end, but lost twenty-five pounds of flesh in 
winning the wager. Long ago, Frederick the Great and Voltaire m. de a simi- 
lar experiment, making use of the same stimulant of strong coffee, but the^ 
did not succeed in driving away sleep for more than four days. " Tired 
nature " obstinately refuses to accept of any substitute for her " sweet re- 
storer," 

Curious Oases of Long Sleeping. — In the middle of the last century 
a young Frenchwoman, at Toulouse, had, for half a year, fits of lengthened 
sleep, varying from three to thirteen days each. About the same time a girl, 
at Newcastle-on-Tyne, slept fourteen weeks without waking, and the wakmg 
pi ocess occupied three days to complete. 

Dr. Blanchet, of Paris, mentions the case of a lady who slept for twenty 
days together, when she was about eighteen years of age, fifty when she was 
about twenty, and had nearly a whole year's sleep, from Easter Sunday, 1862, 
till Harch, 1863. During this long sleep (which physicians call hysteric 
coma) she was fed with milk and soup, one of her front teeth being extracted 
to obtain an opening into her mouth. 

Stow, m his "Chronicles," tells us that "The 2'7th of April, 1546, being 
Tuesdaie in Easter weeke, W. Foxley, pot maker for the Mint in the Tower 
of Londca, fell asleep, and so continued sleeping, and could not be waked with 
prickinj^, cramping, or otherwise, till the first day of the next term, which 
T^as full fourteen dayes and fifteen nights. The causes of his thus sleeping 
could not be knowTie, tho' the same were diligentlie searched for by the king's 
physicians and other learned men ; yea, the king himself examined ye said 
'iV. Foxley, who was in all points found at his waking to be as if he had 
slept but one night." 

Soft or Hard Beds, Which? — On this question there are wide differ- 
epces of opinion, some persons advocating soft, and others hard beds. The 
difference between them is, that the weight of a body on a soft bed presses 
on a larger surface than upon a hard bed, and consequently more comfort is 
enjoyed. Hard »jeds should never be given to little children, and parents who 
fuppose that such beds contribute to health by hardening and developing the 
constT-tutiou, arc surely in error. Eminent physicians — both here and in En- 
gland — conc'jr in this opinion, and state that hard beds have often proved 
mjurious to the shape of infants. Birds and animals cover their offspring 
with the softest materials they can obtain, and also make soft beds for them ; 
and the softness of a bed is not evidence of its being unwholesome. But if 
It is not kept sweet and clean by daily airings and treqaent beatings — v hether 
ft is hard or soft — it is surely injurious to health. 



Sleep and Heactn. 193 

Warm or Cold Sleeping-Rooms, Which ? — There is an old notion, and 
a foolish one, that it is better to sleep in a cold room than in a moderately 
warm one. Given good ventilation, and a fire in a sleeping-room in cold 
weather is healthy. There J? n? gain in the chillinpss of dressing and un- 
dressing in a temperature near the freezing point, bat thv rfh<x~k to the system 
is positively injurious. Cold bed-chambers always imperil healtn, ind invite 
fatal diseases. Robust persons may safely sleep in a temperature of forty or 
under, but the old, the infantile, and the frail, should never sleep in a room 
where the atmosphere is much under fifty degrees Fahrenheit. 

Thorough Ventilation of Sleeping-Rooms. — All persons spend more 
time in their sleeping-rooms than in any other room in the house. As a rule 
about one-third of human life is thus spent. The sleeping-room, therefore, 
should be the best aired, the most comfortable, and in all other respects the 
most healthful room. Ample ventilation is needed at all hours ; but especial 
attention should be paid to ventilation during sleep. There is no danger in 
having a sleeping apartment well ventilated, p' vidsd one sleeps warm, being 
well protected by an abundance of blankettj. 

Time Required for Airing the Beds. — *tae desire of an energetic 
housekeeper to have her work done at an early hour in the morning, causes 
her to leave one of the most important items of neatness undone. The most 
effectual purifying of bed and bed-clothes cannot take place if the proper 
time is not allowed for the free circulation of pure air to remove all human 
impurities which have collected during the hours of slumber. At least two 
or three hours should be allowed for the complete removal of atoms of insen- 
sible perspiration which are absorbed by the bed. Every day this airing 
should be done ; and occasionally bedding constantly used should be carried 
into the open air, and when practicable, left exposed to the sun and wmd for 
half a day. 

Dreaming and Somnambulism. — Those cases in which the brain is hard 
at work during sleep Instead of being totally oblivious of every thing, may 
be called dreaming or somnambulism, according to the mode in which the 
activity displays itself. Many of them are full of interest. Some men have 
done really hard mental work while asleep. Condorcet finished a train of cal- 
culations in his sleep which had much puzzled him during the day. In 1 756 
a collegian noticed the peculiarities of a fellow-student who was rather stupid 
than otherwise during his waking hours, but who got through some excellent 
work in geometry and algebra during sleep. Coleridge composed Kuhla Kahn 
while asleep. 

The Cause of Nightmare. — Nightmare is caused by remaining so long 
in one position that the blood ceases to circulate. How hard we try to run in 
orr sleep, somotimes, to get ori" rjf the wav of some terrible danger! J* 
13 



194: 



Home and Health. 



does such a person no good to ask what's the matter. Don't waste time m 
asking a question, but give relief to the sleeper by an histantaneous shake, or 
jven a touch of the body, which breaks the dreadful spell in an instant, because 
it sets the blood going toward the heart. 

Snoring, and How to Stop It. — Not long since, John A. Wyeth, M.D,, 
described in the Popular Science Monthly* a novel invention for stopj)ing 
snoring. We give the description in his own words : — 

To those unacquainted with the mysterious parlance of the anatomist, the 
use of strictly scientific terms might prove discouraging and fail to interest. 
I shall, therefore, discard the scientific in favor of the every-day phrases, in 
explanation of the following figure (1) which, it will be observed, represents 

a human head split from 
above downward through 
the central line. 

Through the only two 
channels in which the ai« 
travels in going to tht 
lungs, namely, througl 
the nose and mouth, ar< 
drawn two arrows, o 
and b. These two pas^ 
sages unite in a common 
cavity at /, and from 
that point there is but 
one tube leading to the 
lungs. 

At c is a bone called the 
hard palate, which forms 
the roof of the mouth 
and the floor of the nose, separatmg these two air-channels from each other. 
At the inner or posterior end of the bone, c, is seen a little body, d, called 
the soft palate, made of muscle and covered with a delicate skin. This soft 
palate is attached at one end to c, the hard palate ; the other end hangs loose, 
and moves or flaps in the act of breathing, something like a window-curtain 
when acted upon by a current of air. This is its condition while we are asleep 
or awake, though during sleep it lacks in tovAcity, being much more re- 
laxed, or flabby, than when we are awake. At e is represented the tongue. 

Now, in order to snore, one must keep the mouth open, as well as the nose, 
and in this conaition the two currents of air, a and b, passing in and out to- 
gether during the acts of breathing, catch this little curtain, d, between them, 




Fig. 



* Ihf article was suhspqupntly imlilished also in Tlie Chruliain Advocate, Now York. 



Sleej} and Health, 



195 



ftfltl throw it into rapid vibration. This vibration, more or less intense and 
sonorous, is what we call snoring. 

It is only with the mouth open that snoring can be accomplished during 
sleep. Awake, if the nose is closed by the thumb and finger, by taking a 
forcible breath, it is possible to snore, and the same result may be accom- 
plished with the mouth shut and the nose open ; but the muscular effort neces- 
sary to its accomplishment is more than we can command during sleep, and 
would wake up the individual who might unconsciously make the effort. 

If the mouth be closed, (the natural condition during slumber,) but one 
current of air will pass to and from the lungs. This current, pressing about 
{.'•[ually upon all sides of the canal indicated at «, will picss the noft palate^ 
d. forward and downward until it is applied to the tongue, e, and will hold 

it there gently, thus preventing any sonorous 
vibration. 

It follows that any device which prevents 
. j^ ^ . the lower jaw from dropping down during the 

I ^^."^^^ ^^ relaxation of sleep, and opening the mouth, 

will shut out the one unnatural current of air 
and prevent snoring. 

I have devised the apparatus represented 
in Fig. 2, which consists of a simple cap, a, 
fitting the head snugly ; a cap of soft ma- 
terial, 6, fitting the chin ; and a piece of elas- 
tic webbing, c, tacked to the chin-piece, and 
to the head-cap near the ears. The webbing 
can be made more or less tense as may be re- 
quired to effect the closure of the mouth. 
The apparatus is so simple that any one can make it ; and the writer 
hopes this explanation will recommend itself to those individuals who, from 
the possession of this unfortunate habit, are a nuisance to every body — ex- 
cepting themselves. 

Are Plants in Sleeping-Rooms Injurious ?— Dr. J. C. Draper in a 
paper in the Galaxy furnishes a very clear and able discussion in reference 
t,o this question. We condense and quote: — 

Plants Give out Carbonic Acid During the Night. — " Though the 
air is dependent for the renewal of its oxygen on the action of the green 
leaves of plants, it must not be forgotten that it is only in the presence and 
under the stimulus of light that these organisms decompose carbonic acid. 
All plants, irrespective of their kind or nature, absorb oxygen and exhale 
carbonic acid in the dark. The (juantity of noxious gas thus eliminated i? 
however, exceedingly s.Tiuil when compared with the oxygen thrown o'lt dw 




Fig. 



196 Home and Health. 

'ng the day. When they are flowering, plants exhale carbonic acid in con- 
Ciderable quantity, and, at the same time, evolve heat. In this condition, 
therefore, they resemble animals as regards their relation to the air ; and a 
number of pUnts placed in a room would, under these circumstances, tend 
to vitiate ine air." 

Plovrering Plants more Injurious than Others. — " While the phan- 
erogamia, or flowering plants, depend on the air almost entirely for their sup 
ply of carbon, and are busy dui'ing the day in restoring to it the oxygen that 
has been removed by animals, many of the inferior cryptogamia, as the fungi 
and parasitic plants, obtain their nourishment from material that has already 
beet organized. They do not absorb carbonic acid, but on the contrary they 
act like animals, absorbing oxygen and exhaling carbonic acid at all times. It 
is, therefore, evident that their presence in a room cannot be productive of 
good results.'' 

Plants Exhale Other Noxious Substances. — " Aside from the highly 
deleterious action that plants may exert on the atmosphere of a sleeping- 
room, by increasing the proportion of carbonic acid during the night, there is 
another and more important objection to be urged against their presence in 
such apartments. Like animals, they exhale peculiar volatile organic princi- 
ples which, in many instances, render them unfit for the purposes of respira- 
tion. E^ en in the days of Andronicus this fact was recognized, for he says, 
in speaking of Arabia Felix, that ' by reason of myrrh, frankincense, and hot 
3pices there growing, the air was so obnoxious to their brains that the very in 
habitants at some times cannot avoid its influence.' What the influence on 
the brains of the inhabitants may have been does not at present interest us ; 
we have only quoted the statement to show that long ago the emanations from 
plants were regarded as having an influence on the condition of the air ; and, 
in view of our present ignorance, it would be wise to banish them from our 
Bleeping apartments, at least until we are better informed regarding their true 
p roperties." 

Sleep and Death. — As men grow to be about fifty years old, especially 
if of sedentary habits, the feeling on rising in the morning is as if they had 
not gotten sleep enough, not as much as they used to have, and as if they 
would like to have more, but they cannot get it. They look upon a healthy 
child sleeping soundly with a feeling of envy. But it is curious to observe 
that there is a bliss to all in the act of going to sleep, a bliss we become cog- 
nizant of only when we happen to be aroused just as we are falling into 
sound sleep ; and there are strong physiological reasons to suppose that this 
state is a counterpart of that great event that is to come upon all, the act of 
dying. In fact, those who have in rare cases been brought back to life when 
on the verge of death, and in several cases those who have been reco7ere<^ 



Sleep and Health. 197 

from drowning;, and other modes of strangulation or simple smothering, called 
" asphyxia" hy physicians, the expressions have been, on coming to conscious- 
ness, " How delicious ! "Why did yot: not let me go ? " An eminent man thus 
brought back represented that the last-remembered sensations of which he 
was conscious were as if he were listeniug to the most ravishing strains of 
music. 



CLOTHING AND HEALTH. 

The Most Healthy Clothing. — Tlie most healthful clothing for our 
climate, the year round, is that made of wool. If worn next the skin by all 
classes, in summer as well as winter, an incalculable amount of coughs, colds, 
diarrhoea, dysenteries, and fevers would be prevented, as also many sudden 
and premature deaths from croup, diphtheria, and lung diseases. Winter 
maladies would be prevented by the ability of a woolen garment to keep the 
natur;il heat about the body more perfectly, instead of conveying it away as 
fast as generated, as linen and flaxen gai-ments do, as also cotton and silk, 
although these are less cooling than Irish linen, as any one can prove by no- 
ticing ilie different degrees of coldness on the application of a surface of six 
inches square of flannel, cotton, and linen to the skin the moment the cloth- 
ing is removed. The reason is, that wool is a bad conductor of heat.* 

Flannel in Summer as well as Winter. — The incalculable benefit of 
wearing flannel next the body, in summer as well as winter, cannot be esti- 
mated. Flannel is not so uncomfortable in warm weather as many believe. 
Frequent colds and coughs are almost unknown when flannels are worn. 
Some women object to tliem because they are bulky about the waist. This 
objection can be obviated by shaping them in tight sack fashion, or cutting 
tliom out like waists and buttoning them behind. The sudden and frequent 
changes of our climate are scarcely felt, and certainly do very little injury to 
those persons who wear flannel constantly. Above all, mothers should clothe 
the tender bodies of their little ones with under-garments of this material. 
Warmth is almost as necessary to healthful development as food, and parents 
should endeavor to clothe their children so as to secure the greatest amount 
for tliem. 

Best Color for Clothing. — In an article upon "TheClothing We Wear,"* 
Dr. Nichols, of the Boston Journal of Chemistry^ says : " The color of cloth- 
ing is by no means a matter of indifference. White and light-colored clothes 
reflect the heat, while black and dark-colored ones absorb it. White is the 
comfortable and fashionable color for clothing in summer. It reflects heat 

* Dr. HaU. 



198 Home and Health. 

well, and prevents the sun's rays from passing through and heating tLc bod) 
If white is the best color for summer, it does not follow that black is the best 
for winter. It must be remembered that black radiates heat with gi'eat rap- 
idity. Give a coat of white paint to a black steam radiator, which is capable 
of rendering a room comfortably warm at all times, and the temperature will 
.all at once, though the heat-producing agency remains the same as before. A 
black garment robs the body of a larger amount of heat than white, and con- 
sequently the latter color is the best for winter garments. It is the best 
color for both sunmier and winter. Although this statement may seem like 
blowing hot and cold, it is nevertheless true. Let those who are troubled 
with cold feet, and who wear dark stockings, change to white, and see if the dif- 
ficulty is not in part or wholly removed." 

The Texture of Clothing should not be Close. — For all seasons the 
more porous the clothing is, the better. Porous clothes will give ready es- 
cape to the perspiration and a free admission of air to the skin. For this 
reason woolens, which excel in that quality, should be worn constantly. 

Evil of Insufficient Clothing. — One of the great evils induced by 
fashion is the unequal distribution of clothing upon the person. One part 
over-clothed, and another not half clad, is a very common condition, espe- 
cially among women and children. Women are governed by fashion, children 
are governed by women, and it is the great resource of fashion to produce 
new effects by piling on the textures, now here and now there, and by leaving 
other parts exposed. If the declared purpose were to induce disease, no surer 
or more effectual way could be found to do it than this. The dei'angement 
of the circulation is direct and immediate; its healthy equilibrium is de- 
stroyed, the thinly-dressed parts lose their blood to the more vascular, and 
internal derangements give rise to various chronic bodily ailments. 

Evil of LoTV-Necked Dress. — The fashion of wearing low-neck dresses 
on certain occasions, thus leaving the neck and the upper part of the chest 
bare, is fraught with evil consequence. It would be less objectionable in 
countries uniformly warm ; but that our daughteri, here in the frigid and 
changeable climate, should expose to the chilBiig winds a vital part of the 
body, is one of the evils of fashion which should be discountenanced by every 
mother, and father, and brother. Of the unseemliness and reckless immod- 
esty often connected with this exposure, it is not necessary to spe;|}f in this 
discussion. * 

High-Heeled Boots and Shoes. — Says the Journal of Chemistry: " Wf 
shall not quarrel with the httle jaunty hats of the ladies, for they are indecv. 

♦A lady in New York has just died from consumption produced by a cold which sh« 
caught by crossing to and from the different hotels at Saratoga, in the evening, in thin satiii 
■Uppers and low-necked evening dress, and nothing over her shoulders. 



Clothmg omd Health. 199 

pretty, and no harm results from them, as of all parts of the body the head 
needs the least clothing. But, to pass to the other extremity, we have to say 
that the detestable high heels to boots and shoes, running, as they do, almost 
to a point, are spoiling the gait and ruining the ankle-joints of children and 
young misses. "W e are careful to order our shoemakers to remove such heels 
from shoes before permitting them to be brought into our dwelling. Heela of 
moderate height and good breadth are of great service in elevating the feet, 
so as to avoid direct contact with moist earth, and they also give support and 
add firmness to the step. Why should Fashion push good devices to absurd 
extremes ? We must aid in dethroning the tyrant when her decrees lead to 
the physical or moral injury of the race." 

Newspapers as Protectors from Cold.— A newspaper, folded several 
times and laid across the chest during a cold walk or ride, is a most excellent 
protector. If the bed-clothing is not sufficiently warm, especially at hotels, 
two or three large newspapers spread on the bed between the blankets will 
Kecure a comfortable night, as far as cold is concerned. A thin shawl may 
jQ made warm by folding a paper inside it. The paper is impervious to the 
yind and cold air from outside, and prevents the rapid escape of the warm 
air from beneath it. If you suffer from cold feet on a journey, fold a piece 
of newspaper over your stockings ; this is better than rubbers. 

Wiarm Clothing for the Feet. — The lower Umbs, especially the feet, 
should be warmly clothed, both in winter and summer. The fashion that 
rules otherwise is cruel and deadly. An eminent physician estimates the 
number who die from ailments induced directly or indirectly from the insuffi- 
cient clothing of the legs and feet, at nearly one-third of tJie cases of mortality 
071 record ! 

Frequent Change of Clothing for the Feet. — On no account should 
this be neglected. Concerning this subject the Sciefitijic American very truly 
says : " Many are careless in the keeping of the feet. If they wash them 
once a week they think they are doing well. They do not consider that the 
largest pores of the system are located in the bottom ot" the foot, and tliat 
the most offensive matter is discharged through the pores. They wear stock- 
ings from the beginning to the end of the week without change, which be- 
come completely saturated with offensive matter. Ill-health is generated bj 
such treatment of the feet. The pores are not repel lants, but absorbents, and 
this fetid matter, to a greater or less extent, is taken back into the system. 
The feet should be washed every day with pure water only, as well as the 
arm-pits, from which an offensive odor is also emitted, unless daily allution 
is practiced. Stockings should not be worn more than a day or two at a time. 
They may be worn one day, and then aired and sunned and worn another day, 
if necessary." 



200 Home akd Health. 

How to Wear Under-Clothing.— All under-clothing should be sus- 
pended from the shoulders, in order to relieve the waist, and it is needless to 
Bay corsets should be abandoned. To do this, the two principal articles 
should be joined, forming a garment something like children's night-drawers, 
but fitting closer to the body. The petticoats and skirts should be hung from 
the shoulders by straps made of muslin, or other light material. 

Bad Effects from Using " Garters." — One of the most frequer.t 
and flao-rant causes of obstruction in the circulation is the ordinary elastic 
garter. Children should never wear them at all, as the stockings can be per- 
fectly well kept up by attachment of elastic straps to the waistband. If 
garters are worn, it is important to know how to apply them with the least 
risk of harm ; at the bend of the knee the superficial veins of the leg unite, 
and go deeply into the under part of the thigh beneath the ham-string ten- 
dons. Thus a ligature below the knee obstructs all the superficial veins, but 
if the constriction is above, the ham-string tendons keep the pressure off the 
veins which return the blood from the legs ; unfortunately, most people, in 
ignorance of the above facts, apply the garter below the knee. Elastic bands 
are the most injurious. They follow the movements of the muscles, and 
never relax their pressure upon the veins. Non-elastic bands, during muscu- 
lar exertion, become considerably relaxed at intervals, and allow a freer cir- 
culation of the blood. 

Muflling the Throat.— There is nothing that makes the throat delicat 
and sensitive more than muffling it closely in wraps of woolen and fur. Tht 
rule is, that the neck should be kept as cool as comfort will allow. 

Tight collars frequently cause diseases of the throat and lungs. The neck 
should be dressed lightly. From the many movements which are made by 
the larynx in speaking, it is inferred that it is a matter of great importance 
that the neck in health should be always loosely dressed. Tight cravats arc 
sure to obstruct the proper function of this organ, and bring on irritation, 
which may lead to bronchitis or consumption. An eminent physician, who 
devotes his whole attention to the throat and lungs, says that about 
three fourths of all throat diseases would get well by wearing very 
loose collars, and no neck-tie at all. He also adds : " If you have a disease 
of the throat, let nature do the curing, and the physician just as little a* 
possible." 

Remove Wet Clothing. — Some one inquires, " What shall be dom 
when caught in a shower ? " We answer : Put on dry clothing as soon aa 
possible. "Why?" Because damp clothes rapidly chill the surface of the 
body, the heat being carried off by evaporation. " Suppose your clothes have 
been wet for some time ? " Then give the body a thorough rubbing with » 
coarsie towel at the time of changing the clothes. 



Clothing cmd Health. 201 

Poisonous Clothing — Gloves. — A recent London journal describes the 
case of a lady whose hands were covered with very irritable blisters. Upon 
investigation it was found that she had purchased a pair of new silk gloves, 
and that after wearing them a short time these blisters appeared, and had 
troubled her ever since. She wore the left glove more than the right, and the 
left hand was consequently more affected than the right. The gloves were of 
spun gilk, dyed a light brown color — the dye apparently being an aniline dye 
of coal-tar origin. The use of articles so dyed is dangerous. 

Other Cases of Glove Poisoning. — Several English and German papers 
now before us call special attention to dangerous gloves. In one of them a 
writer describes the poisonous effect of a pair of the fashionable "bronze- 
green " silk gloves, when worn by a member of his family. After wearing 
them a day or two, the patient was attacked with a peculiar blistering and 
swelling of both hands, which increased to such an extent that for two or 
three weeks she was compelled to carry her hands in a sling, suffering acute 
pain, and being, of course, unable either to feed or dress herself. Inquiries 
among the writer's friends discovered three other ladies similarly afflicted. A 
German medical journal reports a case of very serious poisoning by a pair of 
navy-blue kids. 

Poisonous Socks. — A clergyman in New York recently purchased a half 
dozen pair of white cotton socks, having on the top two or three " rounds " of 
red yarn. After wearing a pair for a couple of days, he found that both legs 
were poisoned in the parts touched by the red tops of the socks ; and, al- 
though the red-top socks were discarded, he suffered for three months, a part 
of the time severely, from the effects of the poison which had been imbibed 
into the blood. Indeed, the case required very careful treatment by a skill- 
ful physician. In the Museum of the College of Surgeons, London, are pre- 
served some brightly-dyed children's socks, which gave rise to a similar af- 
fection on the feet of a child. 

Other Poisonous Clothing. — Dress goods, of woolen, silk, and cotton, 
have been found to contain arsenic in dangerous quantities ; so, also, gentle- 
men's underclothing, hat linings, and the linings of boots and shoes. Profes- 
sor Nichols, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, reports the exam- 
ination of a lady's dress which contained eight grains of arsenic to the square 
foot. In Troy, New York, lately, the death of a child was attributed to ar- 
senic sucked from a veil which had been thrown over the child's crib to keep 
off flies. 

How to Avoid Such Poisoning. — Use all possible precaution in the 
purchase of clothing. Buy only of respectable dealers. There are a multi- 
tude of shops throughout the country, and especially in the large cities, where 
goods are exposed for sale by irresponsible and reckless persons, who care 



202 Home amd Health. 

nothing for the health of their customers or for the public good. Shun such 
shops Shun, also, most of the vagrant, itinerant, and strange pedlars, who 
carry nuch goods from house to house, whether in the city or country. Their 
goods as a rule, have been purchased at cheap and villainous auctions, and 
are often positively dangerous to the health of those who use them. 

H-^w to Cure Such Poisoning. — On the first appearing of such poison, 
throw oif the garment, and either destroy it or submit it to a thorough reno- 
ration, by boiling, before wearing again. Use at once the recognized reme- 
dies to neutraUze the poison in the system. For these, see chapter on 
"Poisons." If need be, consult your physician without delay. 

How to Protect the Public from Such Clothing. — The Scientific 
Americ/in, in an article referring to the great extent of the villainous traffic 
above described, says : " At this rate, it will soon become necessary to test for 
arsenic all goods purchased before venturing to wear them ; or else the label, 
* warranted to contain no poisonous dye,' will have to be adopted by all honest 
and reliable makers. Hitherto, we believe, the retail dealer has not been 
held legally responsible for damage done in this way. "We do not know that 
he can be, except on the charge of dispensing poisons without a license. 
Evidently, however, something should be done to put a stop to the rapidly- 
increasing evil. If the obnoxious tints cannot be secured safely as well as 
cheaply, then they ought to be prohibited, and another process of dyeing 
made imperative. Our young chemists will find a fruitful field for the exer- 
cise of their inventive powers in the production of the needed dyes." 

Injurious Dress of Many School-girls. — A gifted female writer in an 
ti'ticle in one of our educational journals, discussing the prospects of the suc- 
cess of girls in our public schools and seminaries, says : " By means of corsets, 
band, or belt, her liver is divided into an upper and a lower section ; the one 
forced up, to crowd the heart, lungs, and stomach ; the other down, to find 
room as it can, where there is no room for it. Every vital organ is displaced 
or cramped. Blockades are established by tight shoes, tight gl^es, tight 
garters, tight corsets, or, still more murderous tight skirt-bands ; and there 
the blood must run, by extra force of pumpiug, every time it passes from the 
heart to the extremities or back. ... To study in such a costume is to burn 
the candle at both ends — but the spirit of the age is upon her ; the ages to 
coTQC press or. her ; study she must, and die she must." 

How Fashionable Dress Interferes with Education. — A student at 
the Michigan University having remarked that men have more endurance than 
women, a lady present answered that she would like to see the thirteen hun- 
dred young men in the University laced up in steel-ribbed corsets, with hoops, 
heavy skirts, trails, high heels, paniers, chignons, and dozens of hair-pins 
sticking in their scalps, cooped up in the house, year after year, with no ex- 



Clothing and Health. 203 

hilarating exercise, no hopes, aims, or ambitions in life, and see if tliey could 
stand it as well as the girls. Nothing, said she, but the fact that women, 
like cats, have nine lives, enables them to survive the present reywne to 
which custom dooms the sex. 

An Increasing Demand for Healthy Clothing. — As a result of better 
instruction on the general subject above discussed, public opinion seems to be 
setting in in favor of strong and healthy girls. Pale faces are not thought so 
interesting nowadays as they used to be. A sneer goes round at the ineffi- 
ciency of the feeble women who work for a living and ask for good wages. 
Young men ridicule the idea of tying themselves for life to the sickly girU 
who exhibit loads of expensive dry-goods upon their persons along the svJm 
walks, and they begin to praise openly rosy cheeks and stout figures. Indeed, 
it seems as though the pale and weak young ladies, who, if they were of n< 
jST-i', tical use in the world, were at least admired and praised as interesting on 
account of their pallor ani languor, were going to have a pretty hard time ot 
it now. But how are women to become healthy ? A long stride toward the 
desired end Mill be made by wearing proper clothing. 

The Tyranny of Fashion. — A lady of extensive and intelligent obser- 
vation, tells the story of the tyrani.y of fashion, and of the evil results of 
fashionable dress: "Fashion kiKs more women than toil and sorrow. Obe- 
dience to fashion is a greater transgression ^f the laws of woman's natiu-e, a 
greater injury to her physical and mental consL'tution, than the hardships of 
poverty and neglect. The slave-woman at her task will live and grow old, 
and see two or three generations of her mistresses fade and pass away. The 
washer-woman, with scarce a ray of liope to cheer her in her toils, will live to 
see her fashiona1)le sisters die all around her. The kitchen-maid is hearrv 
and strong, when her lady has to be nursed like a sick baby. 

'* It is a sad truth that fashion-pampered women are almost worthless for all 
the good ends of liuman life. They have but little force of character; the} 
h\<'e still less power of moral will, and quite as little physical energy. Th«v 
live for no great purpose in life; they accomplish no worthy ones. They are 
only doll-forms in the hands of milliners and servants, to be dressed and fed. 
They dress nobody, they feed nobody, they instruct nobody, they bless nobody. 
They write no books ; they set no example of virtue and womanly life. If 
they rear children, the latter are left to the care of servants and nurses. And 
when reared what are the children ? What do they ever amount to but weak 
scions of the old stock ? Who ever heard of a fashionable woman's child 
exhibiting any virtue or power of mind for which it be* -ime eminent ? Reaa 
the biographies of our great and good men. Not one of them had a f».shion- 
able mother. They nearly all sprang from strong-mindto women, who had a« 
little to do with fashion as the changing clouds." 



20-4 Home and Health. 

TIGHT LACING AND HEALTH-IMPORTANT TESTIMONY. 

Physical Effects of Tight-pressing Garments. — The free and easy 
Dansion of the chest is obviously indispensable to the full play and di 
tation of the lungs ; whatever impedes it, either in dress or in position, ia 
■>rejudicial to health, and on the other hand, whatever favors the free expan- 
sion of the chest equally promotes the healthy fulfillment of the respiratory 
I'unctions. Stays, corsets, and tight waistbands operate most injurio^idy, by 
compressing the thoracic cavity, and impeding the due dilatation of the lungs, 
ind in many instances they give rise to consumption. I have seen one case in 
which the liver was actually indented by the excessive pressure, and long- 
jontinued bad health and ultimate death was the result.* 

Effect on Respiration. — Referring to this subject, a writer states that 

aen can exhale at one effort from six to ten pints of air, whereas in women 

,he average is only from two to four pints. In ten females, free from dis- 

ase, whom he examined, about the age of eighteen, the quantity of air 

hrown out averaged three and a half pints, v/hile in young men of the same 

ige he found it to amount to six pints. Some allowance is to be made for 

natural differences in the two sexes, but enough remains to show a great 

'iminution of capacity in the female, which can be ascribed to no other 

w^iuse than the use of stays. 

Effect on Size. — The organs on which growth depends, namely, the 
.ngs, stomach, and liver, are reduced by the corset to half the natural size 
.\id activity. These two causes, with living in the shade, explain the alarm- 
Uig decrease in the size of American women, f 

Investigations by Herbst. — Dr. Herbst, of Gottingen, has lately been 
performing some curious experiments in relation to the quantity of air thai 
is breathed. Now, a person of any understanding will appreciate fiom them 
'-•8 comfort of full and unrestrained breathing. Dr. Herbst says that a 
'd die-sized man, twenty years old, after a natural expiration or emission 
of air, inspired or took in eighty cubic inches when dressed, and one hun- 
dred and sixty when his tight dress was loosed. After a full dilatation of 
the chest, he inhaled one hundred and twenty-six inches when dressed, and 
one hundred and eighty-six when undressed. Another young man, aged 
twenty-one, after a natural expiration, took in fifty when dressed, and ninety- 
Fix when undressed. Had Dr. Herbst made his observations on some of t)io 
ladies who carry the use of the corset to extremes, we apprehend he would 
Have obtained results of a nature really alarming. 

High Medical Testimony. — A report sent out by the .eading medical 

♦ Dr. John M. Howe. t Dio Lewis. 



Tight Lacing and Health. 205 

association of Great Britain, bears the following testimony: "The chest 
may be deformed by compression during infancy, and by many of the in- 
jurious practices of mothers and nurses ; but the chief agents in distorting 
this part of the skeleton are the various kinds of corsets. It is especially 
from the sixth to the last rib that this? pressure is exercised ; these, from 
their greater flexibility, are pressed inward, and all the organs within them — 
lungs, heart, stomach, liver, etc. — are more or less changed in their positioji 
and form ; the amount of air introduced into the lungs is lessened, the cir- 
culation of the blood through the heart is impeded, the stomach cannot per- 
form properly its functions of digestion, and the liver is displaced downward 
and presses upon the intestines, laying the foundation for diseases of the 
chest, consumption, heart-disease, dyspepsia, constipation, and many other 
ills which shorten and embitter the lives of most of the votaries of fashion.* 

Case Reported by the " British Medical Journal." — A female ser- 
vant died suddenly a short time since in London. The doctor could not ac- 
count for the death, and made a post mortem examination, which showed 
that the stomach had been reduced to the size of a litttle child's, and 
the heart pushed out of its proper place through tight lacing. 

Tight Lacing Pollutes the Blood.f — So does our mode of dressing 
pollute the blood. One of the worst of blood poisons is the waste matter 
of the system when not thrown off by its natural channels. And one of the 
most important of these channels is the lungs. But in order to act properly 
the lungs must have free play, and this they cannot have with our present 
style of dress. Originally, the lungs were mad^ to bear an exact proportion 
to the wants of the body in this respect. An_;y ^ing, then, which dimin- 
ishes their capacity destroys the balance, and pollutes the blood by retaining 
the waste matter in the system. This may develop consumption, scrofula, 
catarrh, and even some diseases the origin of which is sometimes popular' ' 
ascribed to the lower vices. And no woman in ordinary society dresses i. 

* A young lady of our acquaintance called on one of our physicians the other day *» 
prescribe for a rush of blood to the head. "I have been doctoring myself," said tbo .f'- 
guid fair one, with a smile, to the kind M. D., while he was feeling her pulse. " .f\v i 
liave taken Brandreth's Pills, Parr's Pills, Strangburg's Pills, Sand's Sarsaparilla, .j ay ^* t 
Expectorant, used Sherman's Lozenges and Plaster, and — " 

" My heavens I madam," interrui*ted the astonished doctor, " all those do your coa i-i.. ti.. 
no good I" 

" No! Then what shall I take?" pettishly inquired the patient. 

'' Take," exclaimed the doctor, eyeing her from head to foot ; " take 1" exclaimed ht 
after a moment's reflection, " why — madam— take — take off your corsets ! " 

It is needless for us to stale that she is still suffering from the disease.— J/iV^^Mri Jour- 
nal. 

tThls paragraph, and the one whi'^fc follows, were written by IVi^sB Jidia Co.iaan for 
Y<wi« and HtadK. 



2()0 Home aio) flEALrn. 

as to wholly avoid such results, unless she has made a special study of the 
matter and planned her dress accordingly. 

Weak and Silly Excuses Described. — But how many give the subject 
this study, or, indeed, any serious thought at all ? We will only reply by re- 
ii^rring to the exasperatingly stupid assertion made by almost any woman 
-^ ou meet, learned or unlearned, thoughtful or silly, that her dress is " not 
tight 1 " Why, the ordinary dress that men wear diminishes their breathing 
capacity one fourth ; and what woman wears her clothing so loose as that ? 
I call a dress too tight that you hit when you draw in the fullest possible 
breath. " But my waist is naturally slender," says one woman. She means 
*.hat she has inherited small lungs. Her ancestors, more or less of them, 
».ompressed their lungs in the same way that we do, and it has become in 
uer case a congenital deformity. This leads us to one of the worst aspectn 
m the whole matter— the transmitted results of indulgence in this deadly 
vice, and it shows itself in diminished vitality and liability to take on dis- 
ease of many kinds. 

.Ind then the waists. It is prettv well understood now^ that large waists 
ire ine commg s-'yle. That is just the way with fashion alw-ays — get all to 
'dIIow it, and then, hey, presto ! whirl around to the very thing, whatever ii 
may be, which it will be the most difficult to follow. Here the whole servile 
crowd that have been literally killing themselves to please fashion find them- 
selves deserted and their " naturally slender " waists held up to pitiless mock 
ery. One would think they would feel outraged by it ; but, poor things, like 
the eels, they take it patiently ; " they are used to it." 

The only agony is to learn how to obey the dictate. " It is a great dea' 
tasier to squeeze the ribs in than to get them out again," says a despairing 
wasp. 

" Well, let's see ; take off the corsets." 

*' 0, I can't live without them ' I can't hold myself up." 

We smile at that, but it comcri too near the literal truth. For although 
I here is a backbone in there somewhere, it is possibly \'ery crooked ; or, if 
not, the muscles that ought • steady it have now been so long replaced by 
corsets that they are not a iiy weak but largely absorbed ; they are shriv- 
eled down to mere rudiments. That is the inevitable result of the pressure 
fljid the lack of use. 

If you really cannot sit up, lie down, and have some one use your muscles 
tor you. Once, twice, Jr thrice a day have them rubbed or worked with the 
hand of an attenda it an hour or more as you can bear it. Then lean over 
and have the spine ^ crcussed with the edges of the hands. The idea is to 
have muscles which we cannot exercise exercised for us. Then the blood 
will flow to them and nourish them until they are strong enough to be exer- 
cised in the ordinary way. 



Tight Lacing cmd Health. 207 

Yow want shoulder-braces? Not a bit of it. You have dwarfed your 
abilities with artificial muscles long enough. You want to use your own 
rauseles, now. Very few, however, will need all this nursing, and you must 
be brave and strong as you can, for since large waists are the fashion, you 
must have one, you know. 

Are you aware that ladies complained in the same way when corset« 
boards went out of fashion some years ago ? And did it never occur to you 
to inquire how a great many women live without corsets entirely? How 
delicate little boys and girls are held together without corsets or other tight 
o'lothing ? Pel haps some such reflections will convince you that the latter 
are not wholly indispensable, and that, in spite of your feelings at first, you 
will soon be able to do without them. 

Tight Lacing and General Weakness. — A learned and eloquent, 
though sarcastic lecture,* was delivered some time ago by a physician of 
extensive observation, upon this subject. He began by saying that many 
causes combined to produce the much-lamented delicacy of American women. 
Chief among these was the system of torture procured by the contrivance 
called a corset, or corsets. He was always giving hints of this to his lady 
patients, but never found one who " laced tight," as they called it. They 
wore "the thing," they acknowledged, but while gasping for breath would 
declare, " I can put my whole hand between my waist and corset ! " And it 
would not do to contradict them ; he could only intimate his unbelief. He 
did wonder, he said, where some young ladies stowed away their dinner, for 
it was a curious fact, that as they contracted the space for receiving food,' 
they seemed to enlarge the quantity to be received. It could not, of course, 
fine room inside the whalebone, and so the stomach must be pushed out of 
place in'order to do its work properly, bringing on dyspepsia and its train of 
miseries. Then the lungs were compressed, and the heart pushed out of its 
proper limits, and a little record of rebellion was kept within the system, in 
place of the beautiful, harmonious account of a grand, healthful action of 
the whole human machinery. There was the back-bone made for bending, 
and how could it be bent while splintered and bandaged like a broken limb ? 
Any part of the body made for action, if not allowed to act, grew weak for 
want of exercise, and a lady should go through, every day, those graceful 
undulations of form which keep the spine and limbs in healthful action. 

Absurdity of Tight Lacing. — There would be no tight lacing if girls 
could be made to understand this simple fact — that men dread the thought 
of marrying a woman who is subject to fits of irritable temper, to bad head- 
aches, and other ailments we need not mention ; all of which, everybody 
knows, are the direct and inevitable product of the compression of the waist. 

* Reportod by Miss E. A. Bainln-idge. 



208 Home and Health. 

An unnaturally-compressed waist is far n ore certain of detection than a masa 
of false hair or a faint dusting of powder. If the young lady who, to ob- 
tain the appearance of a dragon-fly, has been subjecting herself to consider- 
ible physical pain, and who has been laying up for herself a pretty store of 
ailments, which only want time to pronounce themselves, could only see the 
Btare of scarcely-disguised contempt and understand the scornful pity, whict 
greet the result of her labor, we should have a change of the fashion — and 
it is merely a fashion. Through all changes women remain true only to one 
fashion. Whether her clothing is as long and lank as that of a Grecian vir- 
gin, or whether she builds around the lower half of her figure a rotund and 
capacious structure of steel, she is ever faithful to the tradition of a small 
waist ; and she will weaken her circulation, she will make her hands red, she 
will incur headache, she will crack her voice, and she will ruin her digestion, 
all to produce a malformation which wise men regard with pity and fools 
with derision. * 

The General Question Illustrated, f — " 0, indeed, my dress is not tight ! 
My waist is naturally small ; I never could wear a tight dress." Such is the 
universal observation. No lady dresses tightly, none whose dress is not 
loose. Even the Empress of Austria, who has the enviable reputation of 
having the smallest waist in the world, would doubtless say her dress was quite 
loose ; and no doubt it is. So the subject of my essay will not apply to any 
one. I will merely speak of it in the abstract. 

First, how we would suppose it would affect the bones. They are appa- 
rently hard and unyielding structures, yet will grow in any form or position 
in which they may be doubled up. In proof whereof, see the thousands of 
bent spinal columns, from children spending so many hours every day 
bending over school-desks. " Just as the twig is bent the tree inclines," 
or, " Mar the young sapling, and the gnarled oak will tell of thee for cen- 
turies." 

Man is the only animal that is made to look up ; but these stooped shoul- 
ders and bent spinal columns prevent this, to some extent, and diminish, 
also the cavity given to the lungs, interfering more or less with their func- 
tions. I'his, of itself, is a serious evil ; and, like all other deformities, moie 
apt to come on in young persons, when the bones are somewhat cartilaginous, 
and yield readily to these forced positions. Yet even in old age the bonet" 
are still changing structures, and grow as tliey are placed. We are told ol 
an old lady who spent the last years of her life in an alms-house, bent over 
knitting. The bones grew in that cramped position, till across the shoid- 

* AthencRum. 

tThe remainder of this chapter was written as a separate paper by Mrs. Mary Dixon 
Tones. M.D., and placed in the hands of one of the present compilers for publication in 
'/mhic und Health. 



Tight Lacing and Health. 



209 




der measured ouly five inches, and from lop of sternum to pelvis only nine 
inclies. 

TJic heart and lungs are encased in a bony structure, as if to give them a 
more secure protection. The vertebral, or spinal column, is placed posterially. 
the sternum, or breast-bone, in front, and the ribs around. Only seven of tlie 
ribs are joined directly to tlie sternum; and they by cartilaginous attachment?. 
The rest are more or less floating, so 
as to allow the fullest expansion to 
the chest, and the greatest freedom 
to the lungs. In that form the chest 
should be naturallj' expanded, and the 
ribs free. But the young lady com- 
mences with gentle pressure, grad- 
ually drawing nearer and nearer to-' 
gether the floating ribs, diminishing 
more and more the size of the chest, 
giving less and less room to the lungs, 

and in that position the ribs grow, and hence will follow the permanent 
deformit'ij of a small ivaist. 

The ribs which curve off so beautifully and gracefully can be brought 
partly together, or quite, or even be made to lap over. Dr. Merideth Reese 
dissected a woman in which they were completely lapped, and the flesh 
seemed bruised. From the lower part of the sternum to the back-bone 
should measure eight or ten inches, yet so can these bones be compressed and 

brought together that there are in- 
stances of its measuring only one and 
three fourths inches ! Isn't this in- 
terfering with the very sources of 
our existence? We look with horror 
at the Chinese compressing their feet, 
and at the flat-headed Indians com- 
pressing their skulls. Both customs 
seem absurd and ridiculous in the 
extreme, but ours is far more bar- 
barons and injurious. Better com- 
press the feet, head, or any part of the body, than right here, at tlie very 
fountain-head, the very citadel of life. 

The soft extremity of the sternum, too, is sometimes bent in, and grows 
and ossifies in that position ; yet we wonder that consumption is so universal, 
and so generally on the increase. The only wonder is that such persons 
live at all. 

Again, bones become soft from want of exercise, and as our ladies uni- 
14 




210 Rome and Health. 

versallj dress, the bones of the chest have no freedom of action. Kept in 
active thej become more and more softened, and more and more pliable, and 
how easy from this condition may follow lateral curvature of the spine. Some 
physicians have asserted that all fashionably-reared young ladies have thi? 
condition to some extent ; that it is a universal condition among women , 
sometimes only a little so — just enough to be graceful ! But always it will 
irteriere with the action of the lungs. 

The lungs consist only of air-cells, composed of the finest and most deli 
cate mucous membrane. Myendie said there was a great problem to be dem- 
onstrated in the construction of the lungs, viz., to establish an immense 
extent of surface between the atmospheric air and the blood in the small 
space occupied by the lungs. He might have thought of greut vessels or 
large tubes. No one could have conceived of making six hundred millions of 
little air-cells, and arranging around their walls millions and millions more 
of blood-vessels, so that the blood could be brought into immediate contact 
with the air, over this immense extent of surface, and all wrapped in so small 
A space. Nothing can exceed the beauty of such a structure. Into these 
millions of air-cells fresh, pure, invigorating air comes rushing in, filling every 
one, uniting there with the impure, worn-out particles of the body, and car- 
rying them off in the form of carbonic-acid gas. 

But if the chest is compressed the air-cells cannot expand, the air cannot 
get in, the blood has no way of parting with its impurities, so these impuri- 
ties are carried back into the circulation, rendering every tissue of the body 
sickly and every organ unhealthy. The brain suffers with the rest, for to 
it must come the impure, unhealthy blood to nourish it ; its structure becomes 
diseased, it cannot act healthily, nor is it possible for it to show its full power 
or activity. The whole nervous system partakes of this same morbid condi- 
tion, producing a thousand morbid feelings and unpleasant sensations. No 
doubt this accounts for much of the indisposition and ill-health so general 
among women. A medical journal lately asserted that " the vitality of Ameri- 
can women has been constantly decreasing for many years ; " and one of our 
New York daily papers lately informed its readers that our American women 
were weak m the back, dyspeptic in the stomach, and nervous to the verge 
of insanity. 

It is impossible that the blood saculd be thoroughly purified unless everj 
one of these millions of air-cells has the fullest and freest expansion. We 
cannot afford to dispense with any one of them. And how easy it is to pre- 
vent this expansion. Composed of such fine, delicate membranes, they can- 
not bear up against much force or p-essi-re. Even the weight of a gentle- 
man's clothing is said to interfere wivi) his breathing one fourth, and how 
much more the cruel coinjirut^sion of corsets, whalebones, and steel, oftea 
times requiring all the yoimg giiTs strength to uull them together! 



Tight Lacing and Health. 211 

if the air-cells are not fully expanded they flab together ; in time adhesion 
•^iust take place, then inflammation, then ulceration — a direct road to con- 
«*amption. In effect it renders the lungs smaller, which of itself is a pre 
'lisposing cause of disease. Large and well-developed lungs are the best 
inheritance we can have ; and thus diminishing their size and capacity 
•iiniinishes our vigor, power, and vitality, and lessens our hold upon life. 
The larger our lungs are, and the more we breathe, other things being equal, 
:he longer we are going to live, and the more power and vigor we will have. 
I know they are very unfashionable, yet when we consider how very use- 
ful they are, that the larger our waists the better we are off both as tc 
length of life and enjoyment of it, as well as strength and activity of mind, 
we might have the courage to stem the tide, to dare even to have waists. 
Not many years ago a rich man died in England, leaving a certain annuity 
to the bravest man. It was difficult to decide, so for decision it was referred 
to the brave old Duke of Wellington, and he declared it was the man who 
shut the gate of a certain city against the surging of battle ; so the bravesl 
woman is she who in fashionable life dares shut the gate against the flood- 
tide of destructive fashion. 

Even little girls are brought to this altar of fashion to be sacrificed. 
Their waists are compressed, their gait rendered unsteady and ungraceful, 
their vivacity of spirit destroyed. Pale faces, dull eyes, heavy headaches, 
and a life-time of feebleness and sickness, tell the sequel. Very seldom 
do we find a young girl dressed so as to give the lungs their proper 
freedom. 

Bringing the ribs together as shown must necessarily press all the in- 
ternal organs out of place. The liver is pushed and squeezed out of shape, 
at times pressed quite below tbe waist; the stomach carried out of position ; 
the colon, which lies just below the waist, was in one instance found in the 
lower part of the abdomen. A professor once said in the dissecting-room to 
ills class, that to "find the position of the internal organs ihey need never 
lock at a female subject, for in them they are always out of place! The 
abdominal organs falling down upon the movable uterus topple it over ou 
the floor of the pelvis, bringing op. a long train of evils. 

The whole process of breathing is by the action of the muscles. Tli« 
chest is formed largely of muscular structure, great immense muscted 
branching in every direction — an immense muscular apparatus to expand 
the chest and help in the process of breathing, to give us the breath of lifa. 
It is wonderful how this immense machinery of muscles is arranged to ac- 
complish this end. Besides, the great muscles of the abdomen are brought 
into play to help — in fact, almost every muscle of the body seems to *>« 
brought into action to accomplish more fully and effectually this great 
act of breathing ; and to do this effectively they must have the freest ^ 4.io'» 



212 Home and Health. 

and the fullest action, no obstruction in any way. Muscles involuntarily 
shrink from any impediment. 

But this multitude of muscles which God has arranged so beautifully 
around the body we keep inactive, bind them down with ligatures, press 
them with heavy clothing, and impede their action by every incumbrance. 
The breathing apparatus, instead of being free aud active, the chest fully 
and largel}^ expanding about the waist, is bound down and immovably 
fixed, only a little panting at the upper part of the chest. How fearfully we 
interfere with the designs of the Creator— how we abuse this beautiful 

organism ! 

"We have wronged it, we do wrong it, 
'Tis majestically dumt)." 

The muscles, from being thus inactive, grow weak and powerless, nnd fur- 
get their cunning; even so weak that when the corsets, those unnatural su[)- 
ports, are removed, the muscles have so lost their power, are so feeble, they 
can no longer sustain the body, and the young gu'l will say she feels as if she 
was all falling to pieces, or would break in two. And as the muscles grow 
yet weaker and more debilitated, she will tell you she cnn't go without the 
corsets. I have known some conscientiously try to lay them aside, but would 
feel so wretched, so miserable without them — so long accustomed to this 
artificial support that there is no strength in the muscles to hold the body up, 
or the organs in position, and going without them produces indefinably un- 
pleasant sensations. 

The stomach, liver, and intestines whicli lie immediately under the abdomi- 
nal muscles are not only misplaced by the weakness of the muscles, but es- 
sential to the health of these organs is the constant stimulus of the contrac- 
tion and relaxation of these same muscles. And when these muscles are 
kept in a state of inactivity, as is always the case in our mode of dressing, 
these organs alwa5rs suffer ; the liver becomes torpid, the stomach dyspeptic, 
bowels constipated, and general inefficiency of every function, either of which 
conditions will follow legitimately from tight lacing, and either one is suffi- 
cient of itself to produce any sickness. And with the complication, how 
can any one escape general ill-health ? 

This one cause is doing more to undermine the health of American people 
than any other thing. It is working more destruction. There is not a 
function of the human body that is properlj' performed, not an organ that 
does its duty. As one writer has said, " It has slain more women in a score 
of years than the sword does men in a century; stifled more children than 
the Ganges." It is an historical fact that the same woman invented corsets 
who instigated St. Bartholomew's massacre ; aud she has worked more destruc- 
tion by the former than the latter. 

"Why is it so universal ? Does it add to the beauty of the person ? Only 



Tight Laci7ig and TTealth. 213 

our poiveitcd tixstes prevent us from regarding it witli the utmost horror. 
When a Swiss once saw a fine-looking Englishman, he exclaimed. " What a 
pity he has not the goiter." So, we are so accustomed to mutilated waists, 
that when we see a naturally -formed woman we are apt to say, " What a pity 
slie has not a small waist." If we look at the beautiful specimens of ancient 
statuary we find no small, contracted chests, nor did Powers t ike for his model 
one of our fashion-plates. If they are correct he certainly showed a Dlen- 
tiful lack of taste. 

Furthermore, it destroys all gracefulness of carriage. When any muscles 
of the body are cramped, the movements cannot be easy ; there is a certair 
wiggle — a " divine wiggle." How is the human race to have health with thi 
mode of dressing? Only fashion makes us think it is beautiful, or tolerat* 
it for a moment. We would not otherwise endure the misery it imposes 
but so accustomed are some to suffering, that they are hardly conscious of it, 
:hey don't know when they are dressing tight, don't know when the breath 
.ng is oppressed. 

When Lady Mary Wortley Montague was traveling in Turkey, while pre- 
parmg for *he bath, laying aside her corsets, one of the women of the Turkish 
harem tooK up this" little instrument of torture, surveyed it in all directions, 
ar.d turning to Lady Mary said, " Does your husband make you wear this ? " 
A greater tyrant than our husbands imposes them upon us. If we would on'"* 
recollect what Carlyle reminds us of, that " rags " are not of as much imporl- 
naoe as the person. 



EXERCISE AND HEALTH. 

Toil and Activity Necessary to Health. — Frederick the Great said: 
" As for my plan of not sparing myself, I confess it the same as before. 
The more one nurses one's self, the more feeble and delicate does the body 
become. My trade requires toil and activity, and both my body and mina 
must adapt themselves to their duty. It is not necessary that I should ':ve 
but it is necessary that I should act. I have always found myself the bette. 
for this method. However, I do not prescribe it for any one else, and am 
content to practice it myself." 

Severe Exercise after Eating Injurious. — Do not take severe exer- 
cise immediately after eating. Sir Busick Harwood made a thorough test of 
this question in this wise. Having fed two hungry pointers with the same 
kind of food and with the same amount, he allowed one of ihem to rest in 
liis kennel while he kept the other in constant exercise for a couple of hours. 
Both dogs were then killed, and their condition carefully examined. It was 



214 HoMF, A-ND Health. 

found that in the dog which had remained in his kennel digestion was nearly 
completed, while in the other the digestive process had scarcely commenced. 
The inference was conclusive, namely, tL« «»vere exercise should not be 
taken immediately after a hearty meal. 

Light Exercise after Eating is Healthful. — This question has been 
thoroughly tested in many ways. Light exercise, instead of hindering, pro- 
motes digestion, and in this way is helpful to the physical system. It should 
be light, however, as after a full meal the digestive organs are taxed to their 
utmost, and repose to the other parts of the system will be helpful. 

These Rules Apply also to Mental Exercise. — The brain should not 
be heavily taxed immediately after a hearty me^'. Doing so leads to indi- 
gestion and to other disorders consec{uent thereto. The same law holds 
good in physical and mental work. Indeed, literary men and tnose intensely 
and severely devoted to business are the greatest sufferers from indigestion. 

Early Walking and Its Value. — For persons in ordinary health, walk 
ing is a very valuable and economic exercise, and every one who can do so 
should habituate himself to it. A little walk of half an hour upon arising is 
advisable for strong persons, but cannot be endured so early by persons iq 
delicate health. But to those who can bear it, the early walk, not too brisk, 
is a most healthful luxury. 

How to Make the Walk Most Healthful. — Walking, aowever, should 
be walking, and not sauntering. Carry the head erect, expand the chest, and 
drink in the pure air, and move briskly enough to secure your end. Let the 
eye turn from one object to another, and not be fixed on the ground in con- 
templation ; note the beauties or deformities of the landscape ; take a com- 
panion with you if you can, to whom you can refer your opinions on what 
you see and f i-om whom you can receive suggestive thoughts in return ; stop 
at times and sit upon a rock or fence both for rest and the enjoyment of 
some striking scene, and let not the pleasure be turned to weariness by any 
overstraining for the name and fame of a fast walker. 

Walking Combined with Useful Investigation. — To those citizehs 
who can spare a week or more in the summer let us recommend the pedes- 
trian journey as a renovator of body and mind. With the physical exercise 
may be joined geological or botanical, oi- geographical or historical investiga- 
tion, and the delighted mind will help the body to its rejuvenescence. Or. 
Lf you are an artist, you can use your sketching powers on mountain or 
stream, and so provide memorials of your tour. 

In Walking the Dress Should be Loose. — A tightly-dressed person 
cannot enjoy walking. One cannot inflate the lungs with the increased quan- 
tity of air needed for the increased activity of the system. To promote tlil 
tiierc should be a gentle movement of the arms. All untrammeled men ant) 



Exercise and Health. 215 

iromeu, and boys and girls, naturally move their arms more or less in walk- 
ing. It is not needful to swing them like a steam engine, but a natural move- 
ment of this kind will be graceful in persons otherwise graceful. This also 
gives character to the gait and bearing of the individual, and imparts life and 
animation. 

Walk Untrammeled. — Ladies should break up the pernicious fashion 
of always carrying something in their hands. With a short walking-dress 
the hands would seldom be needed to manage that. With a broad-brimmed 
hat the face may be shaded enough to make the carrying of a parasol super- 
fluous, except in the hottest part of the day in hot weather. If a long dress 
must be worn, let the skirt be hooked or pinned up, so that the hands and 
arms may he free. 

Effect of Tight Lacing on Walking. — Tight lacing weakens the action 
of all the muscles directly. They are so intimately bound together that if 
one suffers, all the others suffer with it. Bind any animal about the middle 
so that the muscles there cannot work, and all the other principal muscles 
must work under restraint. So, set one of these ligatured bodies to 
walking, and the whole operation is a very constrained and mechanical 
affair ; the lower limbs move mostly by themselves, and the lay figure slides 
along very much as if on castors. This gives the characterless gait some- 
what peculiar to our American women. The upper pai't of the figure is 
still. The ligature about the waist has cut off the sympathy which should 
exist between the two, and so cheats the walker out of nearly all the benefit 
to be derived from the exercise. She says that walking hurts her, and in 
that she is right. Then she desists from walking, and in that she is wrong. 
She should put herself into proper condition for walking, and persist in it, 
though discreetly, of course ; not to utter exhaustion. 

Exercise for Delicate Women. — Perhaps it would be better for deli- 
cate women to take a large proportion of their exercise in other ways at 
first. Croquet, riding, and driving might be tried, but nothing will help them 
much until they dress right. Rambling in the fields and woods, berrying, 
gathering flowers and botanizing, are among the best forms of exercise for 
women, next to out-of-door work. Gardening is the best, perhaps, all thiug^< 
considered. It is active, gently exciting, tasteful, and available to most 
women, for very few of those who read these pages are so shut up that 
they do not have a chance in a court-yard at least, however small it 
may be. And it is surprising to see what can be done in some of our city 
yards 

Wear the Right Kind of Shoes. — Our foot-gear also affects our walk- 
ing. T'le shoes at present worn are strong and thick-soled, and that is well, 
bvit il stiff enough to make corns, that mars the pleasures of walking. Iligb 



216 Home and Health. 

heols will also do that by driving the foot painfully into the forward part of 
the shoe. Insist on having all the heel removed, and then have only one or 
two thicknesses of leather or " lifts " put on, quite as wide as the sole and 
as long as the heel. Then, if your shoes are large enough, you will enjoy 
your walking as you never could with high and narrow heels. Besides, by 
wearing these unnatural heels we derange the whole basis of our physical 
structure, and sow the seeds of our innumerable ills which we are but just 
beginning to reap. Ladies (and gentlemen, too,) are almost as perverse 
about tight shoes as they are about tight dresses, and shoemaking is in a 
very barbarous state. 

Exercise a Cure for Many Diseases. — There are many diseases, at 
least many foi'ms of indisposition, which, with a strong will, may be walked 
away, provided the exercise be taken systematically and rendered a promi- 
nent feature in the daily treatment. Tone is imparted by this means to both 
mind and body, cheerfulness replaces gloom, and sympathy for others a 
morbid dwelling on self. The exercise should be active, and not consist of 
either strolling or sauntering out of doors, or even amateur gardening. A 
brisk walk may be taken by a strong person at a pace of at least three miles 
an hour, but always stopping short of fatigue. 

Exercise " About the House " Not Enough. — People will be often 
heard to say that they take plenty of exercise about the house, and that 
they are on their legs many hours of the day. What is wanted for the 
health is exercise without fatigue, for fatigue is exhaustion, and the desired 
object is only to be gained on the terms just stated. 

Exercise by Rule Firmly Observed. — The distance walked could be 
increased daily, and it will be found that increasing strength will give the 
readiness and wish for increasing exercise. There is an accumulation of in- 
capability in those who are afflicted with what are vaguely called nervous 
disorders, which render such persons restless, fidgety, irritable, and full of 
strange fancies, and which is best brought down to a healthy standard by 
exercise in the open air, and its concomitant change of scene and new trains 
of thought. 

Exercise as a Cure for Low Spirits. — Exercise of body and mind has 
been well described as the grand constituent of health and happiness, the 
central point upon which every thing turns. Motion seems to be a great pre- 
ser-ving principle of nature, to which even inanimate things are subject ; for 
the winds, waves, the earth itself, are restless, and the waving of trees, 
shrubs, and flowers, is known to be an essential part of their economy. A 
fixed rule of taking several hours' exercise every day, if possible, in the open 
air, if not, under cover, will be almost certain to secure one exemption from 
disease, as well as from attacks of low spirits, evnui — that monster who ig 



Exercise a/rtd Health. 217 

evei waylaying the rich indolent. " Throw but a stone, the giant dies,'" Low 
spirits cannot exist in the atmosphere of bodily and mental activity. 

Abuse of Physical Exercise. — One of our magazine writers has well 
stated tliat those who have gone through the severest training become, in the 
end, dull, listless, and stupid, subjec't to numerous diseases, and in many in- 
stances the ultimate victims of gluttony and drunkemiess. Their unnatural 
vigor seldom lasts more than five years. It was especially remarked by the 
Greeks that no one who in boyhood won the prize at the Olympic games ever 
disting'iished himself afterward. The three years immediately preceding 
seventeen are years of great mental development, and nature cannot at the 
same time endure any severe taxing of the physical constitution. Prudence, 
therefore, especially at this critical period of life, must ever go hand in hand 
with vigor, for the evils of excess outweigh by far the evils of deficiency. 

False Criticism Concerning Exercise Answered. — A modern author, 
after discussing the general question of sedentary occupations, and referring 
to the fact that the number thus engaged has become very large, goes on to 
say that occasionally such persons break away for a day's active exercise. 
A large number go into the country for a month during the summer. Once 
at the old homestead, or in the mountains, they plunge into the hay-field or 
climb the hill. Most of them are led to doubt the value of exercise because 
of the effects which follow these exertions. Without doubt, the labor is gen- 
erally excessive for such persons ; but if they would manage their table habits 
rightly, the results would generally be more than satisfactory. 

When a man is tired, he is tired all through — the stomach not less than the 
legs. Now, what is the usual custom ? After a walk of twenty miles, or a 
day at haying, when every fibre of the body is exhausted, the stomach is 
stuffed with hearty food. The man goes to bed with flushed face and rapid 
pulse, and awakens in the morning with a bad taste in his mouth, loss of ap- 
petite, and a sense of languor. If he had taken a cup of tea and a slice of 
toast instead, he would find himself the next morning none the worse for the 
previous day's work and perspiration. 

Wc all understand well when the body is weak from fever that the stom- 
ach pai takes in the general weakness, and must not be overloaded. But 
when the body is exhausted from labor, and every part is pleading for rest, 
then we crowd the stomach full of beef, pudding, pies, and fruit, and spend the 
next day iu declaring to our friends that exercise is not what it is said to be. 

When we are tired we should seek restoration in sleep — not in calling upon 
the legs, the arms, the back, the stomach, or any other part, to undertake 
five or six hours of continuous hard 'abor. The laboring man would find 
himself much better in the morning if Aie third meal were made more light in 
qujintity and easy of digestion. 



218 Home and Health. 

Riding and Rowing, and Other Kinds of Exercise. — " Horse-back 
riding " and boat-rowing are valuable kinds of exercise, and should be often 
resorted to by those who have the opportunity. Nearly all work about the 
house, or in the shop or field, (except that which fails to use the lower limbs,) 
is to be recommended in the department of exercise. In doing such work 
care should be taken to give freedom and fullness to the breathing and to the 
circulation of the blood. Let the neck^ waist, arid feet be free. 

Swimming as Exercise.* — Swimming, when done at the right hdurs, and 
Qot to excess, is an appropriate and healthful exercise. If we go in several 
Umes a day, soon after eating, or when much fatigued, and stay in long, it 
will injure us. In order that swimming may prove beneficial as well as pleas- 
ant, the following rules, referred to more fully in the chapter on bathing, 
should be observed : — 

1. Never go into the water less than two hours after eating; it is better 
still to make it three. 

2. Never go into the water when feeling much exhausted. It will do no 
harm to go in when you are warm and perspiring, if you are not tired. 

3. Never go into the water when you feel cold and chilly. 

4. Never stay in long enough to make you feel chilly. 

5. Swim and exercise vigorously while in the water. 

6. Wipe dry before dressing. If the sun shines, expose the body to its 
rays a short time before dressing. 

Y. As a rule, do not go in more than once a day. 

* Paddling versus Swimming. — The advantages of "paddling" and "treading water," 
as a means of escaping from drowning when one is suddenly precipitated into deep water, 
are sot forth by a writer in the Sunitary Record. The motions performed in the acts cf 
paddling and treading require no previous instruction, and in the great majority of cases 
would save Ufe. In swimming the mouth is on a level with the water in the intervals of the 
strokes ; in paddhng the head is well elevated — the individual is able to look about, he can 
deliberate as to what is best to be don«, and he is much less liable to take water into the 
larynx or glottis. Without prejudice to the art of swimming, children should be exercised 
from the tenderest age in the art of paddling and treading water, so as to impart conidence 
to them. Even without any preliminary practice whatever, there is nothing to hinder man. 
woman, or child, from beating the water with the hands and feet, just as the lower animals 
do, and so keeping themselves afloat for a protracted period — a period that in a multi 
tude of instances would be sufficient to invite rescue and preserve life. The action of the 
feet alone will sustain the body ; a fortiori, the action of both feet and hands will prove 
i yet more effectual. In this, as in many other things, man is often unaware of his owii 
IromenBe capacities. 



Crying, Laughing, cmd Singing. 210 

CRYING, LAUGHING, AND SINGING. 

Crying and Health. — Probably most persons have experienced the ef 
feet of tears in relieving great sorrow. It is even curious how the feelings 
are allayed by free indulgence in groans and sighs. A French physi- 
cian publishes a long dissertation on the advantages of groaning and crying 
111 general, and especially during surgical operations. He contends that 
groaning and crying are two grand operations by which nature allays an- 
guish ; that those patients who give way to their natural feelings more 
speedily recover from accidents and operations than those who suppose it 
unworthy a man to betray such symptoms of cowardice as either to groan or 
cry. He tells of a man who reduced his pulse from one hundred and twenty- 
six to sixty in the course of a few hours by giving full vent to his emotions. 
" If people arc at all unhappy about any thing, let them go into their room 
and comfort themselves with a loud boo-hoo, and they will feel a hundied 
per cent, better afterward." Then let the eyes and mouth be regarded as 
the safety-valve through which nature discharges her surplus steam. 

Laughing and Health. — It is said by good medical authority that there 
is not the remotest corner or little inlet of the minute blood vessels of the 
human body that does not feel some wavelet from the convulsion occasioned 
by good hearty laughter, and also that the " central man " or life principle, 
is shaken to its innermost depths, sending new tides of life and strength to 
the surface, and thus materially tending to insure good health to the persons 
who indulge therein. The blood moves more rapidly — probably caused by 
some chemical or electric modification occasioned by the convulsion — and 
conveys a different impression to all the organs of the body as it visits them 
on that particular mystic journey, when the man is laughing, from what it 
does at other times. For this reason every good hearty laugh in which 8 
person indulges tends to lengthen his life, conveying as it does new and dis- 
tinct stimulus to the vital forces. 

The Laughing Cure. — " We doubt not the time will come," says another 
authority, *' when physicians, conceding more importance than they now do to 
the influence of the mind upon the vital forces of the body, will prescribe to 
the torpid and melancholy patient a certain number of hearty peals of 
laughter, to be undergone at stated periods, and believe that they will, in so 
doing, find the best and most effective method of producing the required 
effect upon the patient. Our advice to all is, indulge in' good, hearty, soulfid 
laughter, when the opportunity offers, and if you do not derive material bene- 
fit therefrom, charge us with uttering false principles of materia medica.^'' 

Physical Influence of Singing. — So many injuries to the health have 
been attributed by the public — and perhaps also by a portion of the medical 
profession — to frequent and prolonged use of the voice, as to demand just 



220 Home and Health. 

sncn a caierul and impartial investigation of the alleged ill consequences aa 
has lately been made by a Russian author, and published m a German jour- 
nal in St. Petersburg. Although the paper presents no very novel views, it 
is of value as showing the result of his examination of two hundred and 
twenty-two singers, whose ages varied from nine to fifty-three years. These 
were examined with reference to size, chest circumference, and breathing capac- 
ity. Among the principal deductions to be drawn from these examinations, we 
observe in particular that vocal training appears to exert a remarkably beneficial 
influence upon cases having a tendency to consumption. Contrary also, to the 
popular impression, emphysema is not superinduced by this form of exercise. 
The following are some of the conclusions of the author of the paper. 

The circumference of the chest is greater in vocalists than in non-singers 
This difference increases, not only with variations in size or age, but also 
with the number of years spent in singing. The greatest difference between 
these classes is observed in the period of life immediately following puberty. 
Persons of consumptive and intemperate antecedents, have, other things 
being equal, smaller-sized chests. 

The chest circumference is absolutely and relatively greater in singers. In- 
temperance checks the growth of the chest. 

Not only the circumference but the chest capacity is greater in singers. 
It increases with the size (up to the average) with age, (up to 24 years,) and 
with the number of years of vocal training ; more of course in their earlier 
than in their later years. 

Although the chest movements are restricted in persons of consumptive 
habit, they are still more so in persons of equal age who are intemperate. 

The pulmonary alveoli are not lessened but increased in size by singing. 
Both inspiratory and expiratory strength is clearly related to the general 
constitutional condition. 

Vital capacity of the lungs is greater in singers, and increases with size and 
years spent in singing. It is greater even in singers of consumptive families 
than in other healthy persons, while it is still less in chronic tipplers. While 
laryngeal catarrh is common, bronchial catarrh is quite rare among singers. 

Their mortality is slight. Few die of consumption. A not unfrequent 
affection, even among temperate singers, is Bright's disease of the kidneys. 

Singing is an excellent prophylactic against consumption, and is the best 
means of developing and strengthening the chest, ranking indeed above or- 
dinary gymnastics. The cause of this lies in the training of the lungs to 
deeper and stronger respiration. 

Age for Vocal Training. — A distinguished vocal-music teatfier, after 
carefully hT«<^ing the question whether the voices of girls may be safely 
trained bexween the ages of thirteen and seventeen, says : " My pupilt at such 
ages respon-led more successfully to the vocal discipline than did those who 



Cry my, Laughing, and Singing. 221 

were oldei . The period of greatest difficulty I found tc bo between seven- 
teen and twenty-two years. During these years the voice was treacherous, 
husky, dull, or wanting ; the throat tender, liable to frequent colds, or even 
to temporary loss of voice. This was true not only of those who had pre- 
viously studied, but of those who at that age attempted their first musical 
note. . . To me it seems like a libel upon nature to assert that for an im- 
portant fraction of human existence woman at that period (thirteen to sev- 
enteen years of age) is disqualified to critically perform the important 
function of vocalization. Looking at the question in the light of phys- 
iology, I find every thing to oppose the notion ; while, in reviewing my ex- 
perience, I can truthfully say that I have never in one single instance seen 
the year, the month, the day, nor the hour, when, with functional respiration 
and lar}Tigeal efforts, youthful voices have shown the faintest suspicion of 
a greater degree of fatigue, or even huskiness, than at an earlier or later 
age. On the direct and fortunate contrary, they were at that period more 
clear, more bright, more enduring, save in instances of precociously bad mus- 
cular habits, than at any later period ; while to reformatory discipline they re- 
sponded with an alacrity never to be expected from their senior sisters, 
whose greatest difficulty, be it observed, was the means of fofckig muscular 
habits engendered during this very period of advised neglect 



OCCUPATIONS AND HEALTH.-VITAL STATISTICS. 

Mental Labor and Health. An Illustration. — To the question, " Is 
severe intellectual work incompatible with good health ? " a negative answer 
jiust be given. Here is an illustrative case : The renowned Jeremy Bentham, 
a most able and powerful writer on jurisprudence, the author of more than a 
hundred different works, died in England, in 1832, at the age of eighty-five. In 
early life he was puny and exceedingly feeble in health, and this continued for 
sixteen years ; the whole remainder of his life exhibited this fact, that the 
greater his mental application, the better was his physical health. 

There are Hundreds of Similar Oases. — Bentham's was not an excep- 
tional case. A multitude of similar instances could be cited. Indeed, a care- 
lul observation of the tables of statistics compiled to show the aA'crage lon- 
gevity of persons of diiferent occupations, assures us that, as a rule, those 
who are engaged largely in intellectual pursuits, live longer than those of less 
mental occupation. Here are a few instances : — 

Halley 86 

Voltaire 85 

Baron Von Humboldt 90 



Benjamin Franklin 84 

Sir John Herschel 84 

Galileo 78 

Sir Isaac Newton 86 

Lord Bacon 78 



Thomas Jefferson 83 

John Quincy Adams 81 



999, 



Home and Health. 



All these are eminent examples, and the list might be indefinitely extended. 
A friend, himself a physician, carefully went through one of the encyclope- 
dias and noted down the ages of one hundred of the greatest men of history 
He found that the aggregate ages of these men was 7,500, giving an averag.*, 
of seventy-jive years ! 

Average Longevity of Diverse Avocations. — The following table wjii 
leportcd by Dr. Jarvis, giving the average longevity in some of the leadiuj; 
occupations in the States of New York, Massachusetts, aiid Rhode Island. The 
table was compiled with great care : — 



Occupations. Deaths. ^ S® 

Clergymen 389 55-36 

Lawyers 576 54-26 

Physicians 540 54-32 

Blacksmiths ...... 822 51-51 

Carpenters 2,052 49-72 

Masons 492 48-29 



Occupations. Deaths. *^ ?* 

Merchants & Clerks, 2,386 47-46 

Tanners 230 47*90 

Cabinet-makers 253 46-34 

Shoe-makers 3,233 43-03 

Painters 500 43-37 

Tailors 486 41-08 



A study of such figures gives abundant assurance that mental pursuits are 
conducive to health, rather than injurious to it. Our Creator has so wisely 
made us that the employments of the mind and heart — our higher nature — 
bring with them the fullest possible reward. Diligence in study, provided 
it be coupled with daily physical exercise, will increase rather than shorten 
life. 

Order of Mortality in Certain Classes of Manual Labor. — Thirty 
years ago the British returns gave the following as the order of comparative 
freedom from mortality in several different branches of manual labor : — 

1. Farmers, 3. Weavers, 5. Carpenters, 7. Laborers, 9. Bakers, 

2. Shoe-makers, 4. Blacksmiths, 6. Sailors, 8. Miners, 10. Butchers. 

Comparative Ages of Persons Active in Business.— The registry in 
the city of Boston gave the following average ages of persons then cov.nted 
and still actively engaged in the different pursuits compared : — 



Av'ge Age. 

305 Laborers 40-30 

69 Marines 38-59 

35 Tailors 39-08 

32 Merchants 58-81 

32 Traders 49-68 

33 Carpenters 45-76 

22 Painters 40*36 

8 Farmers 57-12 

6 Ship-carpenters .... 51 16 

6 Physicians 48*80 

6 Clergymen 53 80 

4 Coopers 40-60 



AT'ge Age. 

45 Clerks 32-98 

20 Shoe-makers 24-35 

Teamsters 34-40 

Printers 39-46 

10 Masons 40-20 

9 Machinists 33-77 

8 Bakers 38-62 

Blacksmiths 35-00 

Curriers 28-50 

Engineers 45*75 

Lawyers 60*20 



15 
11 



UGCUj)ation8 and Health. 223 

Vital Statistics — Births. — In countries where the records of births are 
Kept, it is found that the annual number of births to each 1 ,000 of the pop- 
ulation varies from 29 to 40, more in some countries than in others, and more 
in the rural districts than in cities. Fewer births occur in cold than in warmer 
climates. More boys are born than girls, the proportion being in Russia 109 
boys to 100 girls ; the mean proportion for Europe being 106 boys to 100 girl^. 
In Great Britain the average proportion is 104 boys to 100 girls. More cl./'l- 
(hen are born during the first three months of the year than during any otlior 
(luarter. Of 1,000 births, 312 occur between midnight and 6 A.M.; 240 be- 
tween 6 A.M. and noon 183 between noon and 6 P.M. ; and 256 between 6 
P.M. and midnight. 

Vital Statistics — Marriage. — Under ordinary circumstances, marriage is 
favorable to longevity. Married men from 25 to 30 years of age die at the 
rate of 6 ; unmarried, at the rate of 10; and widowers, at the rate of 22 per 
1,000 per annum; and from 30 to 35 years of age, married men at the rate 
^f 7^; unmarried, 13; and widowers, 17^ per 1,000 per annum. From 30 
to 35 years of age, maids die at the rate of 11, and married women at the 
rate of 9 per 1,000 per annum. A man married at 25 will live to the age of 65, 
»vhile an unmarried man at the same age will live only to the age of 60. A 
married woman at 25 will attain the age of 65, the unmarried that of 56 only. 
Less crime is committed by the married ; more by the widowed ; and most 
by those who have never married. The chances of females being married be- 
fore the age of 20, are as 1 to 5 of all their probabilities of ever marrying ; 
at the age of 20 the chances are one fifth less; at 25, two thirds less; and 
at 30, six sevenths of all their probabilities are lost. 

Vital Statistics — Deaths. — The greatest numljer of deaths occur during 
the third quarter of the year, and the smallest number during the fourth 
quarter. The other two quarters have nearly the same proportion. Esti- 
mates vary as to the time of day when the most deaths occur, some claiming 
the hours from midnight to 6 A.M. as the most fatal, and others from 6 A.lil 
to noon. More deaths occur during the first half of the day than the last 
half. Of all the deaths that occur throughout the world, about one half aie 
of children under five years of age. 

Expectation of Human Life. — After the first year th'.' chances of liv- 
mg increase up to the fourth year, and then slowly decline. Rural laboiera 
may expect to live, on an average, 45*32 years ; carpenters, 45"28; domesiic 
servants, 42*03 ; bakers, 41-92 ; shoe-makers, 40*87 ; weavers, 41-92 ; tailors, 
?9'40; hatters, 38-91; stone-masons, 38-19; plumbers, 38-13 ; mill operatives, 
38-09 ; blacksmiths, 37-96 ; brick-layers, 37*70 ; printers, 3666 ; clerks, 34-99 , 
and the average population, 39-88. 

The accompanying table shows the average yearly decrease of human lit'f 



224 



Home and IIealte. 



out of a given number born, and the " expectation of life," or average num 
ber of years persons may expect to live at any period of life. The table was 
compiled by Dr. Wiggleworth, after many years of intelligent research, and 
lias justly been regarded as authority by the courts in estimating the value 
of life estk-.ee : 



1 


a 

■a 


a . 


"se = 

rl 

•S--Q 


34 


'3 
a 
S 


o 

a . 

o 

Q 

38 


O £ a5 

.2>-.S 
a c S 


to 

< 
68 


be 

a 

i 

§ 
s 
Si 


a . 

g J 

o 

Q 

87 


o 2 ■ 
5 » a 

fs| 

Pi 


At birth. 


4893 


1264 


23.15 


1772 


80.24 


772 


12.43 


1 


3629 


274 


" 


85 


1737 


35 


28.22 


69 


735 


87 


" 


2 


3355 


188 


u 


36 


1702 


35 


a 


70 


693 


87 


10.06 


8 


3167 


132 


u 


37 


1667 


35 


(1 


71 


601 


37 


" 


4 


3035 


84 


ik 


38 


1632 


35 


u 


72 


624 


37 


«< 


5 


2951 


58 


40.87 


39 


1597 


35 


(( 


73 


587 


87 


k( 


6 


2893 


55 


u 


40 


1562 


35 


26.04 


74 


549 


37 


u 


7 


2S38 


47 


<i 


41 


1527 


35 


" 


75 


511 


37 


7.83 


8 


2791 


40 


u 


42 


1492 


35 


(( 


76 


474 


37 


11 


9 


2751 


36 


u 


43 


1457 


35 


ki 


77 


437 


87 


" 


10 


2716 


28 


89.23 


44 


1423 


34 


" 


78 


400 


37 


i« 


11 


2687 


27 


u 


45 


1396 


27 


23.92 


79 


363 


87 


ti 


12 


2660 


27 


n 


46 


1369 


27 


'( 


80 


326 


35 


5.85 


13 


2633 


27 


u 


47 


1342 


27 


u 


81 


291 


34 


H 


14 


2606 


27 


" 


48 


1315 


27 


n 


82 


257 


34 


" 


15 


2579 


42 


86.16 


49 


1310 


27 


a 


83 


223 


84 


(i 


16 


2537 


43 


" 


50 


1288 


27 


21.16 


84 


189 


84 


(( 


17 


2494 


43 


" 


51 


1261 


27 


«i 


85 


155 


21 


46T 


18 


2-451 


48 


u 


52 


1234 


27 


i. 


86 


134 


21 


H 


19 


2408 


43 


It 


58 


1207 


27 


n 


87 


118 


21 


» 


20 


2365 


43 


84.21 


54 


1180 


27 


>1 


88 


92 


20 


(i 


21 


2322 


42 


" 


55 


1153 


27 


18.25 


89 


72 


20 


U, 


22 


2280 


42 


it 


56 


1126 


27 


n 


90 


52 


8 


8.78 


23 


2238 


42 


" 


57 


1099 


27 


u 


91 


44 


7 


" 


24 


2196 


42 


11 


58 


1072 


27 


(1 


92 


37 


T 


(« 


25 


2154 


40 


82.82 


59 


1045 


27 


(t 


93 


80 


7 


» 


26 


2114 


38 


n 


60 


1018 


27 


15.48 


94 


28 


7 


it 


27 


2076 


38 


n 


61 


991 


27 


ti 


95 


16 


6 


1.62 


28 


2038 


88 


u 


62 


964 


27 


i( 


96 


10 


5 


» 


29 


'2000 


88 


It 


63 


937 


27 


li 


97 


5 


8 


tt 


30 


1962 


38 


80.24 


64 


910 


27 


u 


98 


2 


1 


it 


31 


1924 


88 


" 


65 


8S3 


37 


12.48 


99 


1 


1 


u 


82 


1886 


38 


" 


66 


846 


37 


" 










88 


1848 


83 


(I 


67 


809 


87 


" 











DWELLINGS AND HEALTH. 

Importance of a Healthful Location. — The healthiness of dwellinga 
depends upon their faultless situation, construction, and management. It is, 
therefore, of primary importance that the foundation of houses be on dry 
ground free from decaying matters. Houses built upon a soil saturated with 
putrid moisture, or upon .J swamps or cess-pools or similar filthy ground, 
are notoriously unhealthy, because such a soil, especially in the warm season, 
evolves deleterious exhalations, and vitiates the water of the ground and the 



Dwellings and Health, 225 

air. In the construction of buildings it is also necessary to protect their 
foundations against dampness from underground, by means either of drain- 
age or of a damp-proof ground floor. A construction conducive to a free and 
ample supply of light and air is, then, the main condition for a healthy hab- 
itation ; however large or small, elegant or plain, the house may be, its salu- 
brious condition may be maintained and regulated by these two simple and 
cheap correctors, Light and Air. 

Remove from a Foul District. — If you live in a district soddened witl 
foulness, change. Shoe leather is cheaper than medicine. It will be better to 
get up at five " to go to work," than to get up at two " to lay somebody out ; " 
besides, you will have better heart for every thing. Read Rtskin's " Athena," 
if you can ; and bear in mind that when you bar out the goddess Athena, 
Queen of the Air, you bar in a serpent whose subtle poison will shorten the 
number of your days, lessen your strength, and undermine all the glory which 
should bless them. Have water that looks clean, tastes clean, and whenever 
you lift the lid from a kettle or saucepan, smells clean. If in doubt, catch 
some rain water and filter it. Then remove to another locality. 

Location of Dwellings in Cities. — Dwellings which face on free and 
open streets, are to be preferred to those which open into courts, because the 
motion of the air is freer in the former. In a closely-built city the corner 
house, having the sweep of two streets is, in this respect, better located 
than others in the block. It is not well that high blocks of dwellings should 
so surround the rear court as to shut out the wind, nor that streets should 
terminate against the middle of a block at right angles to it. 

In the country any open, dry portion of land will make a good building 
spot. A slight eminence is preferable. 

Shade Trees Around Our Dwellings. — Farm-houaes or other dwell- 
ings, whether for man or beast, should not be closely shaded, as such shade 
obstructs both sunlight and air currents. The aim should be to so arrange 
the trees in the lawn as to permit the ingress of the sun's rays, and of the 
free and healthful air. 

High Ceilings and Health.— Lofty ceilings are regarded by Fome as a 
principal means of insuring a sufficient measure in cubic feet for each per- 
son. Unless ventilation is secured for the upper portion of a room, a lofty 
ceiling only makes that portion of space above the tops of the windows a 
receptacle for foul air which accumulates and remains to vitiate the stratum 
below. 

Capacity of Bricks for "Dampness."— As to the capacity '»r ibsorp- 

tion, three bricks from a building in process of erection, took up in twenty- 

four hours from eight to fifteen ounces. From a certain brick-yard, samples 

of face-brick and pressed brick absorbed ten and a half and eleven ounces; 

. 15 



226 Home and Health. 

and from another, pressed brick drank up twenty and a half and eighteen 
And a half ounces all in the same time. These results are startling. We 
tannot suppose that lateral or horizontal absorption, as, from driving rain, 
could be much different from that which proceeds upward from wet founda- 
tions. Cannot some process of brick making be found that will prevent thie 
action ? 

Damp Walls and Their Relation to Health. — Porous walls in damp 
Wnjations, absorbing moisture and water, give rise to various evils. Dr. Dean 
L«.s made some tests as to the absorbent capacity of bricks.* He first ex- 
amined in dry weather brick from an old one-story building upon high ground, 
dry, well-sewere(^ and well exposed to sunshine. A face-brick next above 
the foundation, contained one ounce of water ; four feet higher, one half ; 
viid just under the roof, one twelfth. In a building differently circumstanced, 
notoriously damp and unwholsome, on high but " made " ground, a face-brick 
in the fourth row from the foundation was found to contain eighteen ounces 
of water ! 

Dampness of Other Walls. — Most kinds of sandstone are so jA^roui 
that water and air easily pass through them. Solid or quarried limest'ji>£9 
are scarcely permeable by air, but as they are of irregular shapes, and requii*-. 
much mortar, they are not much more air-tight than walls made of regular 
bricks and thin layers of mortar. Observations have been taken of the aver- 
age quantity of mortar used with different building stones. We may suppose 
that taking the wall as a whole, it is equal to one third with quarried Ih. ♦, 
stone, one fourth with tufaceous limestone, one fifth to one sixth with bricka 
and one sixth to one eighth with cubes of sandstone. Thus, the quantity of 
the mortar used assists in keeping the walls pervious to air to a certain 
degree. 

Why Damp Walls are Injurious. — Wet walls are air-tight, and conse- 
quently injurious : — 

1. By impeding ventilation and diffusion of gases through their pores be- 
ing closed up or narrowed by water. 

2. By disturbing the heat-economy of our bodies. Damp walls act as JtV 
*;orbents of heat by their evaporation and increase heat-loss by one-sideu 
radiation. Diseases known to be often caused by cold are particularly frequent 
in damp dwellings : rheumatism, catarrh, and chronic lung disease, BrightV 
disease of the kidneys, etc. 

In a house using one hundred thousand bricks of ten pounds weight eairK 
> hi, V have absorbed the average quantity of water, one hundred thousand 

* l~)anip brick walls are common, especially in houses in the country where they 8r>°i pt 
posted upon the north and eiist sides. So common is lhi« ttat, in many places in the coun 
u-y H "^ii'iiit.' (•rtomlicr oxists nf^nsl brick '^o-isos on .">'•'•>. nnt of their constant dampwsf 



Dwellings a/ad Health. '2'2i1 

pounds, or ten tliousand gallons, or fifty tons of water, must leave the walls 
before they become habitable. How is this to got rid of ? By full and per- 
fect ventilation. 

How to Dry Damp Walls.— The most eifective method is by letting 
them evaporate the water into the air. This is best accomplished by heat 
mg all the chimneys and stoves, and the constant ventilation of all the rooms 
ui\til the necessary degree of dryness is obtained. 

Ventilation is also constantly necessary to maintain the proper degree of 
drniess to counteract their tendency to re-absorb the various gases, and the 
emanations resulting from inhabitation, and the vapors arising from the cul- 
inary department. 

How to Prevent Walls from Becoming Damp — A Successfril Ex- 
periment. — A gentleman having a brick house exposed on all sides, and suf- 
fering from dampness in the kitchen, which was in a wing upon the most 
exposed side, tried an experiment which has proved very i^atisfactory. A 
barrel of the best cement * was purchased, and a common tin wash-basin used 
for mixing it. The cement was mixed with water till about the consistency 
of cream, and then applied thickly with a large paintbrush. Of course the 
mixture had to be constantly stirred to prevent the cement from t^ettling l 
the bottom. And on account of its very rapid settling it could only be mixed 
in very small quantities ; half a gallon is about as large a quantity as can be 
readily handled at a time. When first dried it seemed somewhat of a failure, 
because it could be so easily brushed off, but after it had had twenty-four 
hours to harden it formed a strong, durable coating. The color is a neutral 
tint, somewhat like Ohio stone. The coating kept the wall perfectly drji^ and 
as it is not expensive and does not need skilled labor in its application, ought 
to be extensively used. The coating should be brushed into all the crevices 
and openings of the work, and it may be found desirable to apply two coata 
in order that all the openings, etc., may be completely closed. 

The covering of brick walls with several coats of good oil paint, also pre- 
vents them from imbibing moisture. The walls should be first covered with 
a thorougl coat of sizing. 

* CwTient is much stronger than mortar, and can be nsed to great advantage in many 
f laces instead of lime, even in the face of the fact that it is much more costly than lime, ex- 
cel)! in a few favored localities where it is made. The usual proportions are one pa»t of the 
cemont to five of sand. In pointing, the proportion is sometimes as low as three parts sand 
to one of the cement. Coarse, clean sand — almost pibbles — can be used to the extent of 
three parts to one of the cement. Some advise mortar to be allowed to set, and then wet 
and worked again. This coura will not answer with cement, which is greatly injured by 
such a method of working. The greatest enemy of both mortar and cement is the frost. 
The power with whjch water expands at the freezing point is practically unlimited, an •! 
where it penetrates into the crevices and ' jres of mortar and freezes, or when wet inortJW 
is allowed to freeze, its strength is de»*^ • -v* 



228 Home ^\d Health. 

Damp Closets and Health. — All closets should be so constructed thai 
they may be of tec thoroughly aired. Closets that are darup are dangerous 
enemies to hei'/> If your closets are damp and engender a m< Id wliich en- 
cases not only boots and shoes, but also other articles of wearing apparel, ob- 
tain a half peck of unslacked lime and put in a shallow dish in the closet, 
and it will absorb the dampness. When it becomes quite damp it should be 
renewed. 

Caution Against Damp Floors. — Floors of cellars and basements should 
not be made of brick or similar soft and porous material ; apparently these 
can be easily kept clean, but they absorb and retain moisture, and not only 
remain cold and damp, but by their porosity expose the impurities of the ab- 
sorbed moisture to evaporation, and thus pollute the air and render otherwise 
healthy cellars and basements damp and unwholesome. Floors of water-tight 
cement or of wood, well ventilated underneath, are therefore preferable. 

How to Make Dry Cellar Floors. — For making floors, the following 
method is said to produce very desirable results: Four parts coarse gravel, or 
broken stone and sand, and one part each of lime and cement, are mixed in 
a shallow box, and well shovelled over from end to end. The sand, gravel, 
and cement are mixed together dry. The lime is slacked separately and 
mixed with just water enough to cement it well together. Six or eight inches 
of the mixture is then put on the bottom, and when well set, another coating 
is put on, consisting of one part cement and two of sand. This will also 
answer for making the bottom of a cistern that is to be cemented up directly 
upon the ground without a lining of bricks. 

Danger from Vegetables in Cellars. — Most cellars contain a large 
amount of decomposing vegetable matter in the form of decaying fruits and 
vegetables, which give off their foul and poisonous gases during the process 
of decay. These gases give origin to diphtheria, typhoid and scarlet fever, 
and many other serious illnesses. Then, again, cellars are usually close, un- 
ventilated, and unsunned Air which is kept confined and without the puri- 
fying influence of sunlight, soon becomes impure and unfit to breathe, and if 
to this we add the dampness and constantly-escaping gases of decomposing 
vegetation, we have che condition of the atmosphere of cellars. The cellar 
should be thoroughly cleansed, aired, and sunned as often as foul air becomes 
noticeable, and all accumulations of rubbish or vegetable matter should be 
removed as soon as they begin to decay. 

Danger from Wetting Coal in Cellars. — The habit of wetting coal in 
bulk in the cellar, which is sometimes practiced, causes it to emit poisonous 
gases deleterious to health, and it should be carefully avoided. 

Sitting-Room* and Bed-Rooms and Health. — Dwellings, and particu- 
larly sitting-rooms and bed-rooms, should be so constructed as to allow, at all 



Dwellings and Health. 229 

,*e«».i«0Ti8, regular ventilation, as moisture and the exhalations of their occu- 
pants accumulate and are absorbed by the porous walls, by carpets, beds, and 
furnitura The importance of ventilating bed-rooms is a fact in which every 
oody is vitally interested, and which few properly appreciate. If two men 
ire to occupy a bedroom during a night, let them step upon weighing-sc-iles 
18 they retire, and then again in the morning, and they will find that theii ac- 
aal weight is at least a pound less in the morning. JVequently there will b( 
i loss of two or more pounds, and the average loss throughout the year will 
be mor-e tlian one pound ; that is, during the night there is a loss of a pound 
of matter, which has gone off from their bodies, partly from the lungs, and 
partly through the pores of the skin. The escaped material is carbonic acid 
and decayed animal matter, or poisonous exhalations. 

The Kitchen Sink and Health. — A little sink near a kitchen dooi step, 
i/iadvertently formed, has been known, although not exceeding in its dimen- 
sions a single square foot, to spread sickness through a whole household. 
Hence, every thing of the kind should be studiously obviated, so that there 
should be no spot about a farm-house which can receive and hold standing 
water, whether it be the pure rain from the sky, the contents of a wash-basin, 
the slop-bowl, or the water-pail. 

Ripe Fruit in Sitting or Sleeping-Rooms. — Care should be taken not 
to permit large quantities of ripe fruit in our sitting-rooms. Especially be- 
ware of laying it about a sick-chamber for any length of time. That com- 
plaint which some people make, of a faint sensation in the presence of fruit, is 
not fanciful ; they may be really affected by it, for two Continental chemists 
have shown that from the moment of plucking, apples, cherries, currants, and 
other fruits are subject to incessant transformation. At first they absorb 
oxygen, thus robbing the surrounding air of its vital element ; then they evolve 
carbonic acid, and this in far greater volume than the purer gas is absorbed^ 
so that we have poison given us in the place of pure air, with compound in- 
terest, warmth accelerating it. 

The Out-door Parts of the House. — These should be looked after with un- 
lemitting and ever-persistent care. If there is a cesspool it must be preveuted 
from emitting any foul odors. Disinfectants must be used promptly until a com- 
plete change is effected. The out-door privy, if there is one, should have free 
access to the air.' Exclude all slops or rain-water from it. If there is odor from 
it, use odorless disinfectants until it is corrected. If too foul for use, cover it 
v'ver with " calx powder," and have under the seats some receptacle — such as the 
patent pail, or a half barrel or tub — which can be frequently removed, and 
alternately replaced by another. A privy built above ground, with water-tight 
receptacle, by the use of dry earth, powdered wood-charcoal, dry sifted ashes, 
and occasional copperas-water, is easily kept neat and clean, if cleansed each 



^30 Home and Health. 

spring and fall. Heaps of rubbish and decayed wood, fruit or vegetables, sliould 
be removed. An offensive pig-sty, " hen-roost," stable, or other mclosure, should 
be cleansed at once and kept so. To do this will require only a httle care. 

House Cisterns and Health. — Dr. Stevenson Macadam, F.R.S.E., Leo- 
turer on Chemistry in Edinburgh, has been making a series ot researches 
which throw an interesting light on what is one of the most fertile and ire- 
quent, but one of the most easily controlled, sources of the contamination of 
our hcuse drinking-water. He has made a series of analyses of water dra vn 
from mains and from ordinary house-cisterns in Edinburgh, and by experi- 
ment has shown the effect upon the water from the mains of being retained 
in vessels containing a number of samples of cistern deposits. The results, 
Dr. Macadam says, demonstrate that the water-supply of a town or populous 
place, which may be every thing that is desired at the fountain-head, and even 
at the supply pipe as delivered to the house-holders, is liable to very serious 
contamination when retained in house-cisterns containing deposits or sedi- 
ments which are composed in part of finely-divided-lead compound and decay- 
ing or putrescent organic matter ; and he is ".onfident that in many cases the 
water-supply of both towns and mansion-ho» v^ ^s rendered unwholesome 
froni being retained in dirty cisterns. 

How to Remedy the Evil of Bad Cisterns. — The remedy for the evil 
lies in the periodic cleansing of the house-cistern, which should be regularly 
done every month or two, according to its position and its hability to become 
impregnated with dust and sediment. The cleansing should be carried out 
with a very soft brush, and every care must be taken that the natural skin of 
the lead be not disturbed. A cover of wire or perforated zinc might b« 
placed over the cistern to keep out mice, pieces of plaster, etc. ; but a tight 
cover, which hinders the aeration of the water, should not be used. In ordin- 
ary cases, it is seldom or never that cisterns are purposely cleaned out, unless 
there be occasion to run off tlie water in order to execute repairs, and prob- 
ably bot even then, unless special instructions be given to clean out the cis- 
tern. Many towns and populous places are specially favored with water of 
excellent quality, as delivered into the towns and into the cisterns, and indeed 
each house is placed on the same footing for water-supply as if the foun- 
dations rested on the hills or other country district from which the water is 
drawn ; and it is a matter of regret that gross inattention to the condition of 
house-cisterns should lead to these receptacles being sources of contamination 
of the water, which otherwise is of the most wholesome and suitable quality 
for all domestic purposes. 

" Death in the Kitchen Dishcloth." — A lady correspondent of the Rural 
World, having been startled by typhoid fever in her neighborhood some time 
ago, gives the following good advice about dishcloths : — 



Dwellings and Health. 231 

If they are black and stiff, and smell like a barnyard, it is enough ; throw 
them in the fire, and henceforth and forever wash your dishes with cloths that 
are white, cloths that you can see through, and see if you ever have that dis- 
ease again. There are sometimes other causes, but I have smelled a whole 
house full of typhoid fever in one "dishrag." I had some neighbors once- 
clever, good sort of folks ; one fall four of them were sick at one time wil'j 
typhoid fever. The doctor ordered the vinegar barrels whitewashed, and 
threw about forty cents' worth of carbolic acid in the swill-pail and dei)art- 
ed. I went into the kitchen and made gruel ; I needed a dishcloth, and 
looked around and found several, and such " rags ! " I burned them all and 
called the daughter of the house to get me a dishcloth. She looked around 
on the table. "Why," said she, "there was about a dozen here this morn- 
ing," and she looked in the wood-box and on the mantelpiece, and felt in the 
cupboard. " Well," I said, " I saw some old black rotten rags lying around 
and I burned them, for there is death in such dishcloths as those, and you 
must never use such again." I took turns at nursing that family for weeks, 
■ind I believe those dirty dishcloths were the cause of all that hard work. 

Therefore, I say to every housekeeper, keep your dishcloths clean. You 
may only brush and comb your head on Sundays, you need not wear a collar 
unless you go from home — but you must wash your dishcloths. You may 
only sweep the floor when the sun gets right ; the windows don't need wash- 
ing, you can look out of the door ; that spider's web on the front porch don't 
nurt any thing — but as you love your lives, wash out your dishcloths. Let 
tlie foxtail grass grow in the garden, (the seed is a foot deep anyway;) let tlie 
\iole8 in the heels of your husband's foot-rags go undarned ; let the sage go ' 
luigathered ; let the children's shoes go two Sundays without blacking; let 
the hens set four weeks on one wooden egg — but do wash out your dishcloths. 
Eat without a tablecloth, wash your faces and let them dry, do without a cur- 
tain for your windows and cake for your tea — but, for heaven's sake, keep 
-our dishcloths clean. 

Secure General Home Sanitary Inspection. — When families are 
housed near each other, every family has a right to expect and to demand 
protection from the civil authorities with regard to the presence of any foul 
odors arising from the lack of proper care on the part of others. A writer in 
one of our metropolitan journals has well said that " there will be household 
ere who, from thoughtlessness, ignorance, or poverty, do not secure for them- 
selveg or for others the needed sanitary conditions. Charity, the public wel- 
fare, and the necessary incidents of city life, require regulated and definite 
provision against all those nuisances which imperil the life and health of the 
populace." The same writer very properly insists " upon systematic preven- 
tion, instead of waiting for that loss which disease always involves when it is 
artiliiiiil, cv when we are compelled to meet an epidemic hurriedly If your 



232 Home and Health. 

authorities do not act, move by voluntary associations, which shall exhibit th^ 
facts and so compel action. There is no waste so great as that of preven- 
tible disease, which disables not only the sufferers, but puts a tax on labor, 
capital, and life, much more direful than a well-directed expenditure to pre- 
vent it. Epidemics are to be dreaded ; but our greatest losses are from a 
chronic death and sickness rate, which has a permanent base of supply in 
prevalent unsanitary conditions, not remedied, as they should be and can be. 
Public health is common wealth. Can you not do something to reduce the tax 
levy which forced diseases impose upon the citizens of your city, township, 
and State ? To the degree that sickness and invalidism is unnecessary, it 
means hard times and ill-content. Every motive of comfort and interest re- 
quire that we plan to prevent all those ailments which are within the range 
and duty of our control." 



SCHOOL-ROOMS AND HEALTH. 

Near-Sightedness in Schools. — Prof. Cohn, Dr. of Medicine and Phi- 
losophy in the University of Breslau, * on examining 10,000 pupils, found 
1 ,004 affected by myopia, or " near-sightedness." All the schools in which he 
made his investigations included some near-sighted individuals, but in the vil- 
lage schools these unfortunates were found in the proportion of only 1*4 per 
cent., whilst in city schools 11 "4 in every hundred were affected with my- 
opia. Furthermore, in the primary city schools the proportion was 6*7 per 
cent. In schools of the second grade, myopes were met with in the propor- 
tion of 10*5 per cent. In normal schools the percentage rose to IQ'V ; and in 
the Gymnasia, or highest schools, to 26*2. In the first class of the Gymnasia 
more than half the pupils were near-sighted. 

An Alarming Fact. — From the researches of Prof. Cohn, with those of 
others, it seems indubitable that the work of reading and writing in imper- 
fectly-arranged school-houses, brings about a lamentable development of myo- 
pia. Now it is certain that myopia is hereditary, and that, according to the 
great law of the extinction of the unfit, the children of myopic parents are 
predisposed to the development of this disease, so that they will certainly 
suffer from it, if exposed to conditions which would be apt to engender near- 
sightedness in normal eyes quite free from any taint of hereditary tendency. 
We a»e, therefore, as a people, threatened with an infinite increa'se of myo- 
pia, unless we can devise some efficient sanitary precautions for counteracting 
the injurious effects of prolonged application in the school-room upon our 
visual organs. 

* American Journal of Medical Science, 1879. 



Sehool-room,s and Health. 233 

How to Remedy the Evil. — Among the general deductions reached bj 
Cohn and others, the following are the most important : — 

1. In the first place, study-rooms should be well-lighted during the day, and 
especially toward evening, because a feeble or badly-arranged light compels us to 
diminish the distance between the eye and the book whilst reading or writing, 

2. Light should be allowed to enter from the left side. Illumination from 
the front is more or less dazzling, and obliges the pupils to bend forward toe 
much, or to sit side wise in constrained and fatiguing positions. Again, light 
coming frcm behind is entirely insufficient, because in great measure cut off 
by the head or upper part of the body of each scholar. 

3. The A^'indows of a school-room should be large and high, be arranged 
along the left side of the apartment so as to shed the light upon desks placed 
in rows at right angles to the wall in which they are cut. 

4. The light from above furnished by a sky -light is not so good as that de* 
rived from lateral illumination. The light of lamps is recommended as being 
preferable to gas, and the gas-light shining through ground-glass globes is 
condemned as particularly objectionable. 

5. The inclination of the desk at which the pupil sits to read or write is a 
matter of no small importance. Desks which are horizontal, or only slightly 
inclined, favor the development of myopia by compelling the scholar to bend 
the head over a good deal whilst reading or writing. Such a position brings 
on, as a mere result of weight of the blood, passive congestion of the head 
and eyes, and this results in an intra-ocular tension, insensible, perhaps, when 
it first appears, but very marked in its effects when long and constantly con- 
tinued. Besides, a child who acquires the habit of leaning forward in this 
manner, is very apt to bend nearer and nearer his book as the muscles of the 
back become fatigued, and thus, by straining his power of accommodation at 
short focus, promote the rapid development of myopia. The desks of school 
children should, therefore, be sharply inclined at an angle of 40° or 45° when 
used for reading, and their seats should not be too high, and should be fur- 
nished with comfortable backs. 

How the Evils are Caused. — The faults of school-furniture, which give 
li'je to injurious postures, are so conducive to myopia and asthenopia, as well 
as tn scoliosis or lateral curvature of the spine, are: — 

1 Want of, or unsuitable backs. 

2 Toe great a distance between the seat and the desk. 

8. Disproportion ; generally too great a difference between the height oi 
the seat and that of the desk. 

4. Wrong form and slope of the desk. 

Liebreich, * in his lectures in 1878, gives a very clear exposition of the way 

* Consulting Surgeon in St. Thomaa' Hosi)it.al, London. 



234 Home and Health. 

in which these defects cause the diseases already mentioned, and concludes 
w^ith the subjoined recommendations, which he considers, however, less advan- 
tageous than what he calls the American plan of having the seat and desk 
ma le to every child's measure ; or the Swiss system, when seven or more 
different sizes of seats and desks are manufactured to suit the different 
ck eses : — 

"1. One and the same size and model of desk should be used for children 
ind grown-up persons of both sexes. 

" 2, The adaptation to the height of each child should be effected by vary- 
ing the height of the seat and the foot-board. 

" 3. The edge of the table is always to be in a perpendicular line above 
(hat of the seat. 

" 4, No seat is to be without a back, and the top of this is always to be 1 
inch lower than the edge of the table for boys, and 1 inch higher than the 
edge of the table for girls. 

"5. In all the classes where the boys change places, the height of the seat 
is to be regulated in proportion to the average height of the pupils. 

" 6. In all girls' schools, in all those boys' schools where the children do not 
change places, in boarding-schools, and in private school-rooms, the seat of 
each child should be accurately regulated in proportion to its height." 

The support for the back sliould incline only a few degrees from the per- 
pendicular, and be so shaped as to press upon the spinal column just above 
the hips of the pupil. The breadth of the seat ought to be considerable, in 
order to support most of the thighs, and its height just such as to allow the 
feet to rest easily upon the foot-board. The desk should be so arranged, by 
means of a hinged flap or otherwise, so as to hold the book at an angle of 
40° or 46° whilst reading, and the paper at an angle of 20° whilst writing is 
being performed by the scholars. 



CARE OF CHILDREN. 

Early Food of Children. — The nursing child finds its earliest and best 
foo<i in the mother's milk.* In most cases nothing more is needed until the 
first teeth apjjcar. If the mother's milk is not sufficient, diluted milk from 
the cow may be used to supply the lack. If the mother does not nurse the 
chil 1 cow's milk may be substituted. In such case, the milk should consist, 
for the first month, of milk one part and water tvro parts, with about a half 
t^aspoonful of pure sugar to a half tumbler of the diluted milk. Condensed 
milk may be used instead, in which case the proportion should be one part 

•The exceptions to this rule are when the mother is sufifering from disease, or is of a con- 
sumptive family or habit. 



Care of Children. 235 

condensed milk and ten parts water. Experience shows this mixture to be 
the best first food next to the mother's milk. Unless advised by an expe- 
rienced physician, no " wet nurse " should be employed. As far as possible 
the infant should be trained to nursing at regular, though frequent, intervals 

Changes of Early Diet — Weaning.— As a rule the child should be 
weaned when from ten to twelve mouths old. Except in case of teething 
the time should not extend beyond that period, and may terminate at the age 
of eight months. The nursing should not cease at once, as the abruptness of 
such change might prove unhealthf ul. It is well to wean the child first from 
day nursing, later from night nursing. Food may now be given consisting of 
milk and sweetened water with a little bread or cracker soaked therein. 
If convenient, arrowroot or rice flour, sago, or weak gruel of oatmeal may be 
added. It is best that the early food be neither cold nor hot — " milk warm " 
is better. No tea or coffee or highly-seasoned food should be given. A little 
tender meat finely divided, or a little beef -tea may be given once a day, after 
the teeth for masticating food appear. 

Best Rule as to the Exact Time for Weaning. — Between the dentition 
of the four anterior molar teeth and the canines there is an interval of sev- 
eral months. This interval is recommended by that distinguished French 
medical professor and author, Foussagrives, as the most favorable time for 
weaning. All mothers should know this fact, and, when possible, weaning 
should be deferred until the child has twelve teeth. This rule is infinitely 
better than any one founded on age. Forced weaning at the time of den- 
tition leads to disorders of the digestive passages. Hence it is dangerous to 
begin weaning during a teething crisis. 

Arrangement of Regular Meals for Children. — Later, as well as earlier, 
these meals should be as regular as possible, and the children should not be 
allowed to eat " between meals." The younger the child the more frequently 
should the meals be given. The habit of regularity cannot too strongly be 
insisted upon. And yet not one mother in ten observes this rule. The ex- 
ercise of a little care with a little common sense will early enable the mother 
to arrange the plan of regular meals and keep it. 

Is the Mother's Health Injured by Nursing ? — The rule is never. Dr 
Beard very properly says : " It is an error to suppose that the constitution 
suffers from suckling. Very many women have improved health from per- 
forming this most feminine of all offices. Many very delicate females have 
experienced the best effects from nursing their children ; and many of the 
complaints incident to woman are removed or alleviated by it. Fewrr women 
die when nursing than at any other period. The spirits during this period are 
generally more lively and uniform, the temper milder and more even, and 
the general feeling more healthy and pleasant than before." 



236 Home and Health. 

The Mother's Food while Nursing. — The mother's food sLould b« 
simple and easy of digestion. It is an oft-repeated truth that the food which 
agrees best with the mother's health while nursing also agrees best with the 
child's health during the same period. The mother's food should be ample, 
though in respect of quantity as well as quality that which is best for the 
mother is best for the child. Our Creator has wisely arranged these matters 
so that there is perfect harmony. 

A Common Artificial Food Condemned. — Concerning a very populai 
favorite article, Dr. Zimmerman, as quoted by Liebig says : " Pap is a poison, 
the use of which senseless custom has consecrated. Many millions are nour- 
ished with pap, but it has also cost the lives of hundreds of thousands. The 
well-known Parisian physician, Dr. Vandermonde, shares my opinion, that pap 
is the worst food for children, the source of most of their maladies, their de- 
formities, and death." And adds Liebig, " The evil effect of the much-used 
'pap' given to children, both in the country and in towns, is well known to 
physicians ; for it is quite intelligible that good cow.*!' milk is not improved 
but depreciated, because wheaten flour, on account of its deficiency of the 
nutritive salts, is a very incomplete sort of food." 

Objections of the same serious character apply to nearly to all the kinds of 
artificial food which are found in common use. They either do not comprise 
the elements of food in proper or sufficient quantity, or the elements them- 
selves are rendered almost nugatory by dilution or adulteration. 

Early Baths for Children. — For convenience, and to prevent chilliness, 
the child from the first should be washed in a sitall tub, with the body except 
the head immersed in milk-wamn water. For thorough cleansing this should 
be done every morning and every evening. Not only is such a bath healthful 
in itself, but it also accustoms the child to the water. The warm bath should 
be used until one and a half or two years old, when a cool bath should be 
substituted. The bath should be very brief — at first not more than "two 
minutes." The child's body should be quickly wiped dry and quickly clothed. 
No wet or soiled napkins should be allowed to remain on the child. 

Early Clothing for Children. — The clothing should be wftm and light, 
A.S a rule, let long clothes be worn for about six months ; then change, not 
to short clothes, but to those half-way between short and long ; later, (when 
the child should learn to walk,) to short clothes. Great care should be taken 
to keep the feet warm and dry. It is well to have fine soft flannel worn next 
to the ekin. This should always be loose. 

Early Sleep of Children. — The best-informed medical advisers tell us 
that, when in health, children for the first month should sleep two-thirds of 
the time, and then a little less, and so on, until about fifteen months old, 
when their sleep should be about twelve hours in twenty-four. A child 



Care of Children. 237 

should be encouraged as long as possible to take a nap in the middle of the 
day, though after the age of two years it will be found difficult in many 
cases to induce a continuance of the habit. Parents should insist that their 
children go to bed at regular hours. The earlier the hour the better, and 
nothing, neither callers at home nor company away from home, should allow 
interruption to the rule. 

Shall Children be Rocked to Sleep ? — If the child be accustomed to 
sleep in the crib from the first, it will demand nothing else, and good habits 
of sleep with less exposure will be likely to continue. The best advisers now 
urge that the habit of rocking children to sleep, of carrying them about the 
room in order to entice them to sleep, is a great evil. A child with well regu- 
lated habits will sleep much more successfully and pleasantly than in the 
old and common way of rocking, or carrying, or jolting in the lap or arms. 
Kindly and tenderly, but certainly, put the child in bed, and leave it there un- 
less seriously ill. Resist its cries which may demand the arms at first. Ac- 
custom the child to sleep after nursing, not while nursing. 

Shall Feather Pillows be Used for Babies' Heads ? — Important tes- 
timony in response to this question is given by Dr. Dio Lewis. He says : 
" The proximate, if not the original, cause of a large proportion of deaths 
among American babies is some malady of the brain. When we suppose 
the death to result from dysentery or cholera infantum, the immediate cause 
of the death is an affection of the brain supervening upon the bowel disease. 
The heads of American babies are, for the most part, little furnaces. What 
mischief must come from keeping them buried twenty-four hours out of every 
twenty-four in feather pillows. It makes me shiver to think of the number 
of deaths among these precious little ones, which I have myself seen, where 
I had no doubt that cool straw pillows would have saved them. The hair 
pillow is inferior to straw, because it cannot, like straw, be made perfectly 
clean and fresh by frequent change. Do not fail to keep their little heads 
cool." 

Babies' Bow-legs, and How to Prevent Them. — It is well kn©wn that 
"bow-legs" are among the common deformities of humanity, and wise moth- 
ers assert that the crookedness in either case arises from the afflicted one 
having been put upon his or her feet too early in babyhood. But a Man- 
chester physician. Dr. Crompton, who has watched for the true cause, thinks 
differently. He attributes the first-mentioned distortion to a habit some 
youngsters get in of rubbing the sole of one foot against that of the other ; 
some will go to sleep with the soles pressed together; they appear to enjoy 
the contact only when the feet are naked ; they never attempt to make it 
when they are socked or slippered. So the remedy is obvious : keep the 
oaby's soles covered. 



238 Home and Health. 

Babies' "Knock-knees," and How^ to Prevent Them. — "Knock- 
knees," another common deformity, the physician ascribes to a different child- 
ish habit : that of sleeping on the side, with one knee tucked into the hollow 
behind the other. He has found that where one leg has been bowed inwardly 
more than the other, the patient has always slept on one side, and the upper- 
most member has been that most deformed. Here the preventive is to pad 
the inside of the knees, so as to keep them apart, and let the limbs grow 
freely their own way. 

How to Care for Children's Feet. — It has been well said that life-long 
discomfort, disease, and sudden death often come to children through the in- 
attention or carelessness of the parents. A child should never he allowed to go 
to sleep roith cold feet. The thing to be last attended to is, to see that the feet 
are dry and warm. Neglect of this has often resulted in a dangerous attack 
of croup, diphtheria, or a fatal sore-throat. 

Always, on coming from school, on entering the house from a visit or errand 
in rainy, muddy, or thawing weather, the child's shoes should be removed, 
and the mother should herself ascertain if the stockings are the least damp ; 
and if so they should be taken off, the feet held before the fire and rubbed 
with the hand till perfectly dry, and another pair of shoes be put on, and the 
other shoes and stockings should be placed where they can be dried, so as to 
be ready for future use at a moment's notice. 

Early Exercise for Children. — They should be much in the open air, 
and for this purpose the "baby carriages," now largely introduced into all 
large towns, are a great boon to society. All violent exercise should be 
avoided. Tossing up and down, or jolting in a chair, is not well, especially 
during the first months. In carrying the child around in the arms or car- 
riage, it should be kept in a horizontal position. 

Giving Spirits or Cordials to Babies. — One of the best known and 
most successful physicians in America writes : " Spirits given to a baby, or, 
what is much the same, drank by the mother, is poison for the body, and may 
be the starting of a habit which leads to ruin. Most of the cordials for chil- 
dren are evil, and only evil, and that continually." 

Are Candies Healthful for Children ? — Sugar is not injurious, but 
should not be given to children often, or it will lessen or disturb the appetite. 
Most candies which are found in the small shops, or which are hawked about 
the ftreets, have been adulterated, and are positively injurious. See chapter 
on "Adulteration of Food." Candies should either be made "at home" or 
purchased of an honest dealer. The simpler and milder candies are best. 

Children in the Care of Servants. — Remarkable testimony upon this 
question has recently been given. Here is the record : A number of physi- 
cians, practicing in New York and Brooklyn, having " compared notes," have 



Gave of Children. 239 

concluded that one leading cause of the mortality among children arises Trom 
their being left too much to the care of servants. It has been observed tLat 
children who are taken care of by their parents, undressed and put to bed by 
them, and by them dressed in the morning, and kept under a loving mother's 
eye dunng the day, are, as a general thing, far more healthy, good-tempered, 
and intelligent than such as are left almost exclusively to the care of ser- 
vants. In addition to this, it must be remembered that most of the accidents 
which happen to children, whereby they are seriously injured, and sometimes 
crippled, maimed, and rendered idiotic, occur through the negligence of tho»e 
m whose care they are left by unthinking or unloving parents. 

Lack of Appetite in Children. — The Boston Journal of Chemistry says 
ihat children must have an abundance of out-door exercise, fun and frolic. 
Make them regular in their habits, and feed them only on plain, nourishing 
food, and they will seldom, if ever, complain of a lack of appetite. But keep 
them overtasked at school, confined close to the house the rest of the time, 
frowning down every attempt at play, feed them upon rich or high-seasoned 
food, candies, nuts, etc., allow them to eat between meals and late in the 
evening, and you cannot expect them to have good appetites. On the con- 
trary, you may expect they will be pale, weak, and sickly. Don't cram them 
with food when they don't want it, or have no appetite for it ; such a course 
is slow murder. If they have no appetite, encourage, and if need be, com- 
mand them to take exercise in the open air. 

Age, Studies, and Habits of Children at School. — The faculty of a 
Massachusetts medical college, after carefully considering the influence of 
public schools upon the health of children, authorized the publication of the 
following opinions : — 

1. No child should be allowed to attend school before the beginning of his 
sixth year. 

2. The duration of daily attendance, including the time given to recess and 
physical exercises, should not exceed four and a half hours for primary 
schools ; five and a half for other schools. 

3. There should be no study required out of school — unless at high school ; 
and this should not exceed one hour. 

4. Recess-time should be devoted to play outside the school-room— unless 
during stormy weather— and, as this time rightfully belongs to the pupils, 
they should not be deprived of it except for serious offenses ; and those who 
are not deprived of it, should not be allowed to spend it in study ; no child 
should ever be confined to the school-room during an entire session. The 
minimum of recess-time should be fifteen minutes each session, and in pri- 
mary schools there should be more than one recess in each session. 

5. Physical exercise should be used in school to prevent nervous and mns- 



24:0 Home and Health. 

cular fatigue, and to rtUeve monotony, but not as muscular training It 
should be practiced by both teacher and children in every hour not broken 
by recess, and should be timed by music. In primary schools every half hour 
should be broken by exercise, recess, or singing. 

6. Ventilation should be amply provided for, by other means than by open 
windows, though these should be used in addition to special means during 
recess and exercise time. 

Y. Lessons should be scrupulously apportioned to the average capacity of 
the pupils ; and in primary schools the slate should be used more and tlie 
book less ; and the instructions should be given as much as possible on the 
principl" of "object teaching." 



THE SICK-ROOM AND HEALTH. 

Light in the Sick-Chamber. — Except in extraordinary cases, light is 
indispensable to the best relief of the sick. It should be softened and sub- 
dued, and not glaring. The light should be admitted in large quantities. It 
is an element of cheerfulness, and on that account should be admitted to as 
large an extent as the patient can bear without inconvenience. As shown in 
a previous chapter, the sun-light has a direct and powerful influence for good 
upon the physical system, and on this account, also, its presence should be 
regarded as a prime necessity. Blinds or curtains may be provided to screen 
the eyes, if the latter are too weak or sensitive to bear the direct rays ; but 
no substitute can perform its powerful service as a sanitary agent in the sick 
chamber. 

Cheerful Walls and Cheerful Prospects. — The walls should be of a 
cheerful tint ; if possible, some sort of out-door glimpse should be visible 
from the bed or chair where the invalid lies, if it is but the top of a tree and 
a bit of sky. Eyes which have been traveling for long, dull days over the 
pattern of the paper-hangings, till each bud and leaf and quirl is familiar 
— and hateful — brighten with pleasure as the blind is raised. The mind, 
wearied of the grinding battle with pain and self, finds unconscious refresh- 
ment in the new interest. 

The Inspiration of Pleasant Contrasts. — Ah, there is a bird's shadow 
litting ac 'OSS the pane ! The tree-top sways and trembles with soft rustlings 
—a white cloud floats dreamily over the blue — and now, delight and won- 
ier ! the bird himself conies in sight and perches visibly on the bough, dress- 
ng his feathers, and quivering forth a few notes of song. All the world, 
then, is not lying in bed because we are, is not tired of it^ surrotmdings — has 
u( t the back-ache! What a refreshing thought! And thougli this glimpse 



The Sick-Room and Health. 211 

of another life, the fresh natural life from which wc are shut out — that life 
which has nothing to do with pills and potions, tip-toe movements, whispers, 
ai^l doctors' boots creaking in the entry — may cause the hot tears to rush 
suddenly into our eyes, it does us good, and we begin to say, with a certain 
tremulous thrill of hope, " When I go out again I shall do " — so and so. * 

The Healthful Influence of Pleasant Variety. — If friends knew how 
irksome, how positively harmful, is the sameness of a sick-room, surely love 
and skill would devise remedies. If it were only bringing in a blue, flower to- 
day, and a pink one to-morrow; hanging a fresh picture to vary the monotony 
of the wall, or even an old one in a new place — something, anything — it is 
such iulinite relief. Small things and single things suffice. To see many of 
his surroundings changed at once, confuses an invalid ; to have one litt « nov- 
elty at a time to vary the point of observation, stimulates and cheers. Give 
him that, and you do more and better than if you filled the apartment with 
fresh objects. 

The Inspiration of Beautiful Flowers. — Many argue that flowers should 
be carefully kept away from sick people, lest they exhaust the air, or communi- 
cate to it some harmful quality. This may, in a degree, be true of such 
strong, fragrant blossoms as lilacs or garden lilies, but of the more del- 
icately-scented ones no such effect need be apprehended. A well-aired room 
will never be made close or unwholesome by a nosegay of roses, mignonette, 
or violets, and the subtle cheer which they bring with them is infinitely reviv- 
ing to weary eyes and depressed spirits. 

Caution as to Reading Aloud in the Sick-Room. — " With regard to 

reading aloud in the sick-room," says Florence Nightingale, "my experience 
is, that when the sick are too ill to read to themselves, they can seldom bear 
to be read to. Children, eye-patients, and uneducated persons are excep- 
tions, or where there is any mechanical difficulty in reading. People who like 
to be read to have generally not much the matter with them ; while in fevers, 
or where there is much irritability of brain, the effort of listening to reading ■ 
aloud has often brought on delirium. I speak with great diffidence, because 
there is dn almost universal impression that it is sparing the sick to read 
aloud to them." 

Read Slowly to the Sick. — If the patient desires reading, or if read- 
ing aloud is not trying to the nerves, it should be done slowly. " People often 
think that the way to get it over with least fatigue to him is to get it over in 
least time. They gabble, they plunge and gallop through the reading. There 
never was a greater mistake. Houdin, the conjurer, says that the way to 
make a story seem short is to tell it slowly. So it is with reading to the sick. 

* Scribner''s Monthly. 

16 



242 Home and Health. 

I have often heard a patient say to such a mistaken reader, ' Don't read it to 
me ; tell it me.' Unconsciously he is aware that this will regulate the plung- 
ing, the reading with unequal paces, slurring over one part, instead of leav- 
ing it out altogether if it is unimportant, and mumbling another," 

Read in a Natural, Pleasant, Colloquial Voice. — If the reader lets 
nis own attention wander, and then stops to read up to himself, or finds he 
lias read the wrong bit, then it is all over with the poor patient's chance oi 
nut suflfe.'ing. Very few people know how to read to the sick ; very few read 
aloud as pleasantly even as they speak. In reading they sing, they hesitate, 
they stammer, they hurry, they mumble ; when in speaking they do none of 
these things. Reading aloud to the sick ought always to be rather slow, and 
exceedingly distinct, but not mouthing ; rather monotonous, but not sing-song ; 
rather loud, but not noisy. 

Evil of Reading Aloud Only Fragmentary Paragraphs. — The ex- 
traordinary habit of reading to one's self in a sick-room, and reading aloud 
to the patient any sentences which will amuse him, is exceedingly thoughtless. 
What does such a reader think the patient is thinking of during his gaps of 
non-reading ? Do you think that the patient amuses himself upon what you 
have read for precisely the time it pleases you to go on reading to yourself, 
and that his attention is ready for something else at precisely the time it 
pleases you to begin reading again ? Whether the person thus read to be 
sick or well ; whether he be doing nothing, or doing something else while be- 
ing thus read to, the self-absorption and want of observation of the person 
who does it, is equally difficult to understand — although very often the patient 
is too amiable to say how much it disturbs him. 

Evil of a Rough Voice in the Sick-Room. — Many attendants or 
visitors have little intelligent care as to their voice in the sick-room. A per- 
son sometimes has a rough, stentorian voice, and forgets to control it, or mel- 
low it when using it in the presence of the sick. The sick cannot endure, 
either, the rough or ever *' thundering " voice, and will be likely to say, at 
least in a whisper, when the visitor has gone away : " Never let that man 
come to me again ; never let him enter the door again ; his voice was enough 
to distract my poor head ; / cannot endure it. 

Evil of an Indistinct Voice in the Sick-Room. — The other extreme 
is also a real evil. The attendants speak gently enough, it may be, yet so in- 
distinctly that the poor patient cannnt understand what is said. The latter is 
worn out and distracted with the nervous effort to lay hold of some precious 
instruction and spiritual comfort, perhaps from the minister, which he strives 
in vain to understand. A little care upon the part of the speaker will enable 
him to adjust his voice so as not to tax the nerves of the sick man. Distinct- 
ness is verv great value imder such circumstances. 



The Sick-Room and Health. 243 

Great Tenderness of Manner Required. — A nmn lying on a bed of 
sickness must be treated with a great deal of tenderness and consideration 
in regard to voice and manner, as well as in regard to the matter and measuic 
of the instruction which you give him. And if a truly consistent Christian 
comes in to visit him, and his voice is so gentle that it does not disturb him 
by a loudness which he cannot bear, and, at the same time, is so distinct that, 
without difficulty, he can catch every word that is spoken, the impression will 
be quite different. He says, when his instructor is gone, " 0, what a nice 
gentleman that was ! How soft and gentle his voice was ! and yet so clear 
and distinct that without the least difficulty I could understand every word 
that he said. Whenever he comes let me see him." * 

How to Move a Patient. — Sometimes, when patients are greatly ex- 
hausted, or after severe surgical operations, it may be dangerous to bring 
them into a sitting position, but they may be safely and easily moved if the 
body is kept horizontal in the following manner : Place the head of one bed- 
stead against the foot of the other. Having procured two hard-wood poles 
six feet long and one and a half inches in diameter, place one on each side 
of the patient near the edge of the sheet on which he rests, and roll them 
firmly into the sheet to within six inches of the patient's body. Two per- 
sons should stand on each side of the bed, facing the two on the other side, 
and grasping the poles firmly with both hands, separated about eighteen in- 
ches apart, they should first pull firmly against each other until the sheet on 
which the patient lies is converted into a stretcher. Then continue to pull, 
and lifting the body horizontally and moving downward together, they easily 
deposit the patient in the fresh bed, without danger or suffering. The sheet 
on which he has been moved can then be readily slipped out from beneath 
the body. It is astonishing with what ease a thing can be done when done 
in the right way. 

Heat and Ventilation in the Sick-Room. — Wheie the entire dwelling 
is heated by a furnace, or by steam, it will probably be unnecessary to have 
other means of warming the sick-room ; but the fire-place should be always 
open, and kept ready for a wood or a coal fire whenever the patient shall 
express a desire for one. The fire-places are excellent ventilating flues even 
without a fire, but are nearly perfect when supplied with a wood fire, the 
brisk blaze of which creates a strong ascending current, and continually car- 
ries off the ever-accumulating exhalations of the sick-room. If there is no 
fire-place, a window opened a short distance from the bottom, in the room in 
which the patient is lying, and one let down from the top in the other large 
room, witl. the doors opened between the two, will form an effectual draught 
during any but the warm days of summer, and will not be too strong for the 
most delicate patient who is protected from the direct draught by the high 
head-board of the bed. In cold weather the window opened from the bottom 



244 Homp: and Health. 

will often be found sufficient. On very cold days we may trust to an entire 
change of air several times each day, effected by raising all the windows 
for a few moments at a time, during which the patient must be thoroughly 
protected by extra blankets and a shawl about the head. 

Cleanliness and Neatness in the Sick-room. — The aphorism that 
Cleanliness is next to godliness," is nowhere more imperative than in the 
sick-room. Cleanliness absolutely enforced will stamp out any infectious 
disease, and mitigate all diseases to a marked degree. In enforcing cleanli- 
ness in the sick-room we must look to the patient's bed, the patient's body, 
the nurse, and all utensils, vessels, etc. In the model sick-room there should 
be two narrow beds of equal height on easy-rolling castors, having hair mat- 
tresses, low headboards, and absolutely free from all abominations in the way 
of canopies. The patient may thus have a fresh bed for the night and another 
for the morning. In the morning the freshly -made bed, covered with one 
sheet, can be trundled up to the bed which has been occupied during the 
night, and the patient can easily be slid on the same level on to a deliciously 
fresh bed. The mattress and bedding of the bed vacated can be rolled up, 
quietly taken into an adjoining room, where, with open windows, they can be 
shaken, thoroughly ventilated during the day, and made ready for the night. 

Directions in Contagious Sickness. — The following general directions 
are useful for nurses and others in contagious or infectious sickness : — 

1. The sick person should be restricted to one room, or a part of the house 
separated from the other inmates. 

2. Secure proper ventilation of the sick-room, without producing draughts. 
Smell is an excellent guide as to the state of air ; if the air is sweet there is 
but little dread to be felt. 

3. The virulence of any poison which causes the spread of disease is 
greatly increased by concentration in close rooms, and decreased by dilution 
and free circulation of air. 

4. The linen, clothing, bedding, utensils, and every object touched by or 
in contact with the sick, should be isolated, and, such as will permit, should 
be thrown into boiling water, there to remain at least for half an hour. 

6. The nurse should be restricted to the sick-room or otherwise isolated. 

6. Remember that disease is communicated by both the poisoned air about 
the sick, and by the clothes and other articles used or touched by them. 

v. After the patient leaves the sick-room, it should be purified and disin- 
fected. Boil every thing that will admit of it ; scald all utensils ; scrub tlie 
floors ; whitewash ceiling and walls. Empty the room entirely, and leave 
doors and windows open for at least a day or two. 

Important Qualities of a Good Nurse. — A good nurse will be full of 
kindness. She will control by gentleness combined with decision. She will 



The Sick-Room cmd Health. 245 

bo most decisive if no one suspects that she is so at all. It is the triumph 
of supremacy to become unconsciously supreme. Nowhere is this decision 
more blessed than in a sick-room.* Where it exists in its genuineness the 
sufferer is never contradicted, never coerced ; all the little victories are as- 
sumed. The decisive nurse is never peremptory, never loud. She is distinct, 
it is true — there is nothing more aggravating to a sick person than a whisper 
— but she is not loud. Though quiet, she never walks on tip-toe ; she nevet 
makes gestures ; all is open and above-board. She knows no diplomacy of 
finesse^ and of course her shoes never creak. Her touch is steady and en- 
couraging. She does not potter. She never looks a.t you sideways. You 
never catch her watching. She never slams the door, of course, but she 
never shuts it slowly, as if she were cracking a nut in the hinge. She never 
talks behind it. She never peeps. She pokes the fire skillfully, with firm, 
judicious penetration. She caresses one kind of patient with genuine sym- 
pathy ; she talks to another as if she were well. She is never in a hurry. 
She is worth her weight in gold. 

« 

Twenty-oneBrief Suggestions to Nurses. — Be scrupulously neat in 
person and dress. 

Be cheerful and buoyant to the last degree possible. 

A few drops of hartshorn in the water used for daily bathing will remove 
the disagreeable odors of warmth and perspiration. 

Never speak of the symptoms of your patient in his presence, unless ques- 
tioned by the doctor, whose orders you are always to obey implicitly. 

Remember never to be a gossip or tattler, and " always to hold sacred the 
knowledge which, to a certain extent, you must obtain of the private affairs 
of your patient, and the household in which you nurse." 

Try to give as little trouble to the servants as possible, and make them feel 
that you have come to help them in the extra work that sickness always brings. 

Never contradict your patient, nor argue with him. 

Never let your patient see that you are annoyed about any thing. 

Never whisper in the sick-room. If your patient be well enough, and 
wishes you to talk to him, speak in a low, distinct voice, on cheerful subjects. 

Don't relate painful hospital experiences, nor give details of the maladies 
I if former patients. 

Never startle the patient with accounts of dreadful crimes or accidents 
t liat you have read in the newspapers. 

Wvite down the orders that the physician gives you as to time for giving 
the medicines, food, etc. 

Give an account of your patient to the physician in as few words as 
[)0S8ible. 

• Good Health. 



246 Home aijd Health. 

Keep the room bright (unless the doctor orders it darkened). 

Let the air be as pure as possible, giving it fre'^h supplies from outside. 

Keep every thing in order, but without being fussy and bustling. 

To remove dust, wipe every thing with a damp cloth. 

Remember to carry out all vessels covered. Empty and wash them imme- 
diately, and keep some disinfectant in them. 

Remember, that to leave the patient's untasted food by his side from Tieal 
to meal, in hopes that he will eat it in the interval, is simply to prevent him 
from taking any food at all. 

Medicines, beef -tea, or stimulants, should never be kept where the patient 
can see them, or smell them. 

Remember "that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves," but 
that God is ever wilUng to grant us strength to perform our duties, if we pray 
to him in the name of our Blessed Saviour. 



ALCOHOL AND HEALTH. 

Alcohol Cannot be Classed as Food. — Omitting in this connection all 
reference to the social and moral relations of this question, we invite at- 
tention to its hygienic aspects. The highest medical and chemical authorities 
now indorse the conclusion that alcohol is not a food, but a poison, like 
opium, and a substance abhorrent to the human economy ; that it does not 
in the slightest degree nourish the body, or even prevent the waste of tissue, 
but that it arrests digestion, destroys the appetite, lessens muscular force 
and vital heat, excites the lower passions, predisposes the drinker to disease, 
and retards his recovery. 

Liebig's Testimony. — Professor Liebig has shown that alcohol conta.ns 
no element which can be converted into nutriment ; and the experiments of 
MM. Lallemand, Perrin, Duroy, Dr. Edward Smith, and other physiologists, 
demonstrate that alcohol is ejected from the system in the state in which it 
is introduced, no trace of any derivative of alcohol being found in the blood ; 
therefore, no quantity of alcohol can be of benefit to healthy persons ; on 
the contrary, it must, in every case, exercise a poisonous influence. 

Dr. Richardson's and Prof. Silliman's Testimony. — Prof. Silliman, 
M.D., of Yale Medical Institute, quotes Dr. Richardson's conclusion on this 
question, after thorough investigation, as follows : " Speaking honestly, I 
cannot, by any argument yet presented to me, admit the alcohols through 
any gate that might distinguish them as separate from other chemical bodies. 
I can no more accept them as foods than I can chloroform, or ether, or 
aiethylal. That they produce temporary excitement is true, but as their gen 



Alcohol a/nd Health, 247 

eral action is quickly to reduce animal heat, I cannot see how they can supply 
animal force. I see clearly how they reduce animal power, and can show a 
reason for using them in order to stop physical or to stupefy mental pain ; 
but that they give strength, that is, that they supply material for the con- 
struction of fine tissue, or throw force into tissue supplied by other mateiiaj, 
must be an error as solemn as it is wide-spread." 

Alcohol not the Source of Physical Force. — The authority quoted 
al)ove, adds : " The true place of the alcohols is clear ; they are agreeable 
temporary shrouds. The savage, with the mansions of his soul unfurnished, 
buries his restless energy under their shadow. The civilized man, overbur- 
dened with mental labor, or with engrossing care, seeks the same shade, but 
it is shade after all, in which, in exact proportion as he seeks it, the seeker 
retires from perfect natural life. To search for force in alcohol is to my 
mind equivalent to the act of searching for the sun in subterranean gloom 
until all is night." 

Similar Testimony from Others. — Hundreds of testimonies similar in 
their teachings have been given. " It seems doubtful," says Dr. T. K. Cham- 
bers, " if on the healthy nervous system alcohol is ever a stimulant, even in 
the most moderate dose, and for the shortest periods of time." In another 
part of his work, on "Renewal of Life," Dr. Chambers says, "It is clear 
that we must cease to regard alcohol as in any sense an aliment, inasmuch as 
it goes out as it went in, and does not, as far as we know, leave any of its 
substance behind." Dr. Edward Smith, F.R.S., asserts that " alcohol is not 
true food ; and it neither warms nor sustains the body." * 

Does Alcohol Help Digestion ? — Alcohol is said to increase the flow of 
the gastric secretions when used in moderate quantities, and so to promote 
the digestion of food. The limit, however, to its acting thus is a very re- 
stricted one. If used in any quantity it never fails to irritate the lining 
membi-ane of the stomach, and so produce the very opposite effect to that 
stilted ; a small quantity, however, soon loses the effect sought ; as the 
amount is increased the deterioration which over-stimulation is certain to in- 
duce is brought on, and the terrible indigestion of the tippler is established. 

Alcohol Useless in Nearly All Cases. — Put against the above the re- 
s^'.ts of accredited and intelligent experience and observation, that in tin 
long run of surgical ailments no aid is required from stimulants, but, on th( 
contrary, these complaints " are much better managed without alcohoV 

A Distinguished Surgeon Uses Alcohol in Only One Case out ol 
Fifty! — "At this moment," says Dr. Macleod, "at the moment I addresa 

♦ Aloohol an AN.E8THETIC. — III a paper upon " The Use and Abuse of Alcoholic Liquors," 
Dr. W. L. Schenck supports with considerable ability the idea that alcohol is neither a food 
nor a fitiumlant, but a true anuesthetic. 



248 Home and Health. 

you I have under my care more than fifty surgical cases, and only one — and 
she is a very weakly woman, with blood poisoning — is taking alcohol. Among 
the cases I allude to are many who have undergone serious operations, and 
many old and feeble people. I mention this to show that, while I resolutely 
defend the use of alcohol in certain cases, I am but little given to its ad 
ministration in the usual practice of my profession. 

Patients Require Food Rather than Stimulants. — If food of a nour- 
ishing and concentrated kind can be taken and assimilated, that is what will 
recuperate our patients and prolong their lives. Alas, it is the want of this 
power of assimilation which baffles us so frequently in dealing with disease, 
and that is not unf requently the offspring of previous intemperance. 

Careless Use of Alcohol Dangerous. — We cannot be too strenuous in 
warning persons against the careless way in which too much stimulant is 
prescribed in the sick-room. Occasionally one hears friends told to "be 
good to the patient," or to take care and "keep up his system," or to "stim- 
ulate him freely." No such lax and injudicious mstructions should ever be 
given, but the exact quantity scrupulously laid down, and care taken that it 
is adhered to. Weak, nervous, worn-out persons will put a very liberal in- 
terpretation on any mere general instruction, and thus you come to discover 
that food is neglected for alcohol — truly, " One halfpennyworth of bread to 
this intolerable deal of sack." Never allow the bottle containing the stimu- 
lant to be kept in the sick room, but let the precise amount to be consumed 
in the twenty-four hours be put into a separate phial, so that its progressive 
use may be judged of accurately. 

Alcohol a Brain Poison. — Science has shown that alcohol has a special 
affinity for the brain. On its introduction into the system it rushes to that 
vital organ, and makes there its first and most powerful assault upon life. 
If the quantity is sufficient it causes instant death. 

In common doses it produces disturbances ranging from trifling congestion 
to delirium tremens. It literally hardens the brain. A professor of surgery 
assured his class that he could tell the brain of a drunkard in the dark by 
passing the dissecting knife through it. 

An agent classed by all toxicologists with deadly poison, that has an affinity 
for the brain so strong that it crowds not only the channels of the circula- 
tion, but the substance of the brain itself, cannot fail to produce serious 
disturbances in the delicate organ of thought. And facts agree. Brain 
diseases, such as congestion, paralysis, apoplexy, epilepsy, and insanity, are 
caused or aggravated by intoxicating drinks to a fearful extent. 

Alcoholic Rheumatism. — A writer in the British Medical Journal thus 
aP'ides to a disease, new in name if not new in experience, in this country.* 

1. Alcoholic rheumatism is the result of a distinct cause. 



J 



Alcohol cmd Health. 249 

2. It ie pioduoed by drinking alcoholic beverages. 

3. It is slow in eifeeting a marked change in the system. 

4. It does not usually appear before middle life. 

5. Its effects are produced by the accumulation of the alcoholic fluids 
taken into the system. 

6. It causes stupidity, stiffness in the body, hobbling gait, and ul.imate 
lameness. 

1. It causes changes of structure and produces chronic alcoholism. 
8. The remedy is abstinence from the use of all fermented alcoholic drinks 
and taking vigorous exercise in the open air. 

How Alcoholic Drinks Cause Apoplexy. — It is the essential nature 
of all wines and spirits to send an increased amount of blood to the brain. 
Tlie first effect of taking a glass of wine or stronger form of alcohol is to 
send the blood there faster than common, hence the circulation that gives 
the red face. It increases the activity of the brain, and it works faster, and 
so does the tongue. But suppose a man keeps on drinking, the blood is sent 
to the brain so fast, in such large quantities, that in order to make room foi 
it the artei'ies have to enlarge themselves ; they increase in size, and in doing 
so they press against the more yielding and flaccid veins which carry the 
blood out of the brain, and thus diminish their size, their pores, the result 
being that the blood is not only carried to the arteries of the brain faster 
than is natural or healthful, but it is prevented from leaving it as fast as 
usual"; hence a double set of causes of death are in operation. A man may 
drink enough brandy or other spirits in a few hours, or in a few minutes, to 
bring on a fatal attack of apoplexy. 

No Risk in Disusing Alcohol Suddenly and Fully. — It is a very grati- 
fying fact that there is no risk in withdrawing alcohol at once and fully from 
inebriates. Indeed, this is generally the only method very hopeful in the di- 
rection of recovery. "Half-measures always fail. Let it be absolutely for 
bidden in any form and quantity, and though I am not very sanguine as to 
success in the case of confirmed drunkards, yet for those less hopelessly 
ibandoned there is, by following rigid abstinence, a chance of reform. Nour- 
ishing, fatty food, sugar, plenty of fresh air, and mental enjoyment, will he'p 
b > wean the victim from his poison." 

Physicians Should Especially Promote Abstinence from Alco- 
hol. — " Tlie medical profession may do much to promote temperance, and it 
is its boundcn duty to exercise its wide-spread influence to such a good end. 
One v/f the most painful sights ever seen, was the graves of three young med- 
ical practitioners, all victims to intemperance, which lay side by side, on the 
sunny slope of a Highland hill, beneath the shadow of an ancient cross, 
which had been erected by the self-denying Anchorites of the early faith. 



250 Home and Health. 

One after another, they had gone to practice their divine art, and, in succes- 
sion, fell victims to their self-indulgence, a melancholy picture of neglected 
talents and wasted lives." 

Testimony of a Great Surgeon. — "Gentlemen," said the same lec- 
turer, " let us determine that we will avoid all such vices, and fulfill the old 
promise which Hippocrates, the father of surgical science, imposed on his 
disciples, (and which is almost exactly reproduced in the declaration you will 
m sign on graduation here.) ' I will follow that system of regimen which, ac- 
cording to my abil'ty and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, 
and abstain from whatever is deleterious or mischievotis. I will give no deadly 
medicine to any one, if asked, or suggest any such counsel, and, with purity 
and holiness, I will pass my life and practice my art.' These are, indeed, 
noble words — which were the sentiments of a Pagan, but they would do honor 
to the most exalted Christian." 

Inconsiderate Prescription of Alcoholic Liquors by Physicians 
— Testimony of 300 Leading Physicians. — The following opportune 
document, signed by three hundred of the leading physicians of London, 
appeared in the papers of that city just before Christmas : — 

As it is believed that the inconsiderate prescription of large quantities of alcoholic liquid 
by medical uien for their i)atients has given rise, in many instances, to the formation of in- 
temperate habits, the undersigned, while unable to abandon the use of alcohol in the treat- 
ment of certain cases of disease, are yet of opinion that no medical practitioner should 
prescribe it without a sense of grave responsibility. 

They believe that alcohol, in whatever form, should be prescribed with as much care as 
any powerful drug, and that the directions for its use should be so. framed as not to be in- 
terpreted as a sanction for excess, or necessarily for the continuance of its use when the oc- 
casion is past. They are also of opinion that many people imraen.sely exaggerate the value 
of alcohol as an article of diet and since no class of men see so much of its ill effects, and 
possess such power to restrain its abuse, as members of their own i)rofession, they hold that 
every medical practitioner is bound to exert his utmost influence to inculcate habits of great 
moderation in the use of alcoholic liquids. 

Being also firmly convinced that the great amount of drinking of alcoholic liquors among 
the working classes of this country is one of the greatest evils of the day, destroying- 
more than anything else — the health, happiness, and welfare of those classes, and neutraliz- 
ing, to a large extent, the great industrial prosperity which Providence has placed within the 
reach of this nation, the undersigned would gladly support any wise legislation which 
would tend to restrict, within proper limits, the use of alcoholic beverages, and gradually 
introduce habits of temi)erance. George Burrows, M.D., F.E.S., President of the Royal 
Cciege of Physicians, Physician Extraordinary to the Queen ; George Rusk, F.R.S., Presi- 
dent of the Royal College of Surgeons, and others. 

General Physiological Effects of Alcohol. — A valuable paper was 
furnished recently at a meeting of one of our State Medical Associations, in 
which, after discussing thoroughly the whole question of the physiological ef- 
fects of alcoholic beverages, the author gave the following, among other con- 
clusions, which he had reached in his researches : — 



Alcohol and Health. 251 

1. Alcohol, when present in the blood, causes fatty degeneration of the 
organs. 

2. It dilates the blood vessels, and increases the force and frequency of 
the heart, by its action on the nervous centers. It does not give additional 
strength, but merely enables a man to draw on his reserve energy. It may 
thus give assistance in a single effort, but not in prolonged exertion 

3. It has the same effect upon the action of the heart. 

4. By dilating the vessels of the skin, alcohol warms the surface at the ex- 
pense of the internal organs. 

5. The symptoms of intoxication are due to paralysis of the nervous sys- 
tem. It is through paralysis of the medulla that alcohol usually causes 
death. 

6. The apparent immunity possessed by drunken men from the usual ef- 
fects of serious accident, is due to paralysis of the nervous mechanism through 
which shock could be produced in a sober condition. 

Alcoholic Drinks Greatly Shorten Life. — A celebrated French phy- 
sician. Dr. Everat, has furnished statistics showing that the mortality from 
this cause is annually 50,000 in England, 40,000 in Germany, 15,000 in Rus- 
sia, 4,000 in Belgium, 8,000 in Spain, and 15,000 in France. Notwithstand- 
ing the universality of this vice among nearly all classes of society, few 
persons are aware of how materially human life is abbreviated by the use 
of alcohol. 

Interesting Illustrative Statistics. — Mr. F. G. P. Nelson, an actuary, of 
London, from a series of careful observations, has deduced some valuable 
statistics regarding this subject, which prove that the average duration of life, 
after beginning the use of hquor as a beverage, is as follows: Among beer- 
drinkers, 21-7 years; among spirit-drinkers, 16-7 years; among those who 
drink spirits indiscriminately, 16-1 years. The death-rate among different 
drinkers Mr. Nelson found to be : Among beer-drinkers, 4*597 per cent, year- 
ly; among spirit-drinkers, 5-996 per cent, yearly; among mixed-drmkers, 
6"194 per cent, yearly. 

Table Showing the Comparative Expectation of Life for Drink- 
kers. — The subjoined table, prepared by Nelson, contrasts the " Expectation 
of Life " for teinperate and intemperate persons : — 



Ages. 


Temperate. 


Intemperate. 


Loss of Lifa 


20 


44*2 years. 


15*5 years 


28-7 years. 


30 


36-5 " 


13-8 " 


22-7 " 


40 


28-8 " 


11-6 " 


17-2 " 


50 


21-2 " 


10-9 •• 


10-8 " 


60 


14-3 " 


8-9 " 


5-4 " 



252 Home and Health. 

The expectation of liquor-drinkers, from the time of becoming such, 
varies with the vocation : 

Among mechanics, working and laboiing men 18 years. 

Among traders, dealers, and merchants 1*7 " 

Among professional men and gentlemen 15 " 

Among females 14 " 

It will be noticed that professional men addicted to strong drink, are shorter 
lired than drinkers of other pursuits. 

Why Some Liquor-Drinkers Have Long Lives. — While the above 
tables, carefully compiled, show the average of the lives of hquor-drink 
ers to be much less than that of the abstemious, there are occasional instances 
in which even the intemperate live to old age. Certain physical constitutions 
become transformed in the functional condition of the system, so that they 
live on in an abnormal way, enduring, and even enjoying, a poisonous physical 
condition. Some persons seem to enjoy better health in a malarious atmos- 
phere than out of it. Their bodies have undergone the transformation of 
" acclimation." In exceptional cases, such persons may survive, even to old 
age. The average, however, is in the other direction. No man has a right 
to place himself in the small prospective list of exceptions. 

Alcoholic Intemperance Hereditary. — It is now well-known that in- 
temperance becomes hereditary, and begets various forms of insanity. Dr. 
George H. B. Macleod, F.R.S.E., Regius Professor of Surgery in the Univers- 
ity of Glasgow, and Surgeon in Ordinary to the Queen, in an address on the 
subject of alcohol in the treatment of the sick, says, concerning the question 
of inheriting a taste for alcohol : " We perceive, in dealing with the children 
of intemperate i-ersons, their ailments, mental and corporeal, not unfrequently 
take a complexion of their own from the habits of the parents. The low vi- 
tality, the stunted growth, the late maturity, the epileptic seizures, the hydro- 
cephalus, and numerous other morbid conditions met with, occasionally own 
the intemperance of the progenitor as their cause." 

Darwin Confirms this View. — Darwin writes more strongly on this 
point. He says : " It is remarkable, that all the diseases that spring from 
drinking spirituous and fermented liquors are liable to become hereditary 
eren to the third generation, gradually increasing, if the cause be continued^ 
till the cause becomes extinct," 

Hereditary Drunkenness Illustrated. — Not more pitiful are the ap- 
proaches of madness than are the well-understood symptoms which signify to 
the hereditary drunkard the hour of his inherited passion. " I knew in 
Texas," says a correspondent, " a young man who was heir to such a woeful 
heritage. He was physically one of the handsomest of men, and possessed oi 



Alcohol and Health. 253 

great and varied talents, which he had carefully cultivated. Moreover, he 
had served his country with distinguished bravery, and was then holding a 
high position of trust and honor. 

'* But. with a regularity that was terrible, there came to him — no matter 
where he was, over his ledger, in the church, by the side of the woman he 
loved- -a craving for brandy that possessed him like a demon, and drove him 
forth from among his fellows. 

" With set lips and despairing face he would deliver to a friend the keys of 
his office, and betake himself to his room — not as men go to a carousal, but 
as they go to meet a fearful reckoning — and for two or three days drink in 
sullen silence, till the craving was appeased. Some one was one day praising, 
in his presence, his vast stores of acquired information, and his delicate fancy 
as an artist. 

*' ' Yet I shall die like a brute,' he said, sadly ; and the despairing look of a 
hunted animal came into his eye, as he added : ' My father died drunk ; i-/iy 
motlier, too, (God forgive her !) ; my grandfather shot himself in delirium 
tremens. You know, boys, how poor Patrick died ; it will be the same with 
me.' His prophecy was too soon fulfilled." 

Great Peril in Using Alcohol as Medicine. — There is always a very 
great risk in prescribing spirituous liquors as a medicine, to be used even in 
small quantities. The history of many a young man shows that, insidiously, 
the habit grows and the appetite becomes intensified. Multitudes die annually 
because of the tyrannical power of habits formed while using alcoholic stim- 
ulants as a medicine. Physicians, surgeons, and nurses cannot be too cau- 
tious in prescribing alcohol. 

Sad Results of Prescribing Alcohol. — A pastor furnishes the following 
narrative : " Some time since, a person who had been for a long period in 
feeble health, but was of excellent moral character and amiable disposition, 
recovered from his enfeebled state, and was able to resume his calling in life. 
It was found, however, to the dismay of his young and lovely wife, and to the 
bitter grief of his friends, that he was rapidly falling into habits of intemper- 
ance, and at length of open and shameless drunkenness. No entreaties of 
those nearest and dearest to him seemed to be of any avail to stop his dread- 
ful course. 

*' As the pastor and friend of his family, we were apprised of the melancholy 
state of things, and besought to use all the influence possible to reclaim and 
save the sadly-erring and falling man. His business was soon neglected, and at 
length given up ; self-respect was lost ; want, that had never been known in 
his home, began to be felt. For a long time now, never had he read the chap- 
ter, or bowed the knee in prayer at the family altar, as had been his custom 
in the early days of his happy married life ; and never now did he come to 



254 Home aistd Health. 

the house of God. There was an entire change in the circumstances and 
habits, disposition and character, of the man."" 

Fruitless Efforts for Recovery. — " As requested, and drawn by a fond 
desire to do him good, and bring gladness and hope again to that now sad 
family, we repeatedly saw and conversed and prayed with the changed and 
unhappy man. When free from the influence of strong drink, he would freely 
talk with us, at times confess his folly and sin, weep most bitter tears, and 
make promises almost with the intense earnestness of a desperate man, that 
he Avould never touch the accursed drink again. And as we would bow to- 
gether in prayer for the grace that alone could sustain in keeping from the 
terrible evil and in doing the right, he would add his most emphatic Amen to 
the petition. Yet, ere long, he would fall again as low or lower than before, 
and thus continued reforming and refalling, and becoming more and more the 
utter wreck and ruin of himself, until at length he died a terrible death." 

The Victim's Sorrowful Experience. — " Now, what was the history of 
this terrible change in that man ? This was a question that we often pon- 
dered, and after vainly seeking for some time an account of it from himself, 
he one day spoke in substance as follows : ' Up to the time of my long dechn- 
ing health no man ever had a greater abhorrence of the drunkard's cup 
and the drunkard's curse than I ; never was ardent spirits in any form put into 
my mouth, and in no sense had I the slightest desire for it. But,' said he, 
'after I had been ailing some time, my physician directed me to procure a 
particular kind of ardent spirits, and take a portion of it every day. I hesi- 
tated, however, about it, not from any particular fear, but because I could not 
bear the taste of it. But he insisted it would do my system good ; so we ob- 
tained it, and I began to drink it. The effect seemed beneficial, and my 
physician told me to continue to take it. The repugnance I had to it gradually 
wore off, and finding it exhilarated me and made me feel better, I more and 
more willingly took it, and after a time would look forward with pleasure, 
and even longing, for the appointed season or hour for taking it, and thus it 
went on ; but,' said he, with an awful pause, and a look of indescribable 
agony and despair, * why shall I tell you any more ? You see the beginning, 
and here I am a slave to a habit, and a doomed man. I have tried to stop — 
0, God only knows how hard I have tried ! — but I cannot. The desire for 
it comes upon me at times with an overpowering force, and I mtcst have it — 
I mtist, I MUST ! ' and he rushed from the room. 

" It was not long after this he died, and sad were the thoughts and feelings 
of the funeral day." 

Dr. Rush's Noble Testimony. — Strong and noble, and even stately, was 
the course of the excellent Dr. Benjamin Rush in this matter. Long before 
the temperance reform, a missionary from the. West Indies sought medical ad- 



Alcohol and Health. 255 

vice of Dr. Rush, and when an unpalatable medicine was presented, the pa- 
tient asked if he could not take a little "good old Jamaica" with it. 

" No, sir," the doctor decidedly replied. 

"Why, sir, what harm will it do?" demanded the West Indian. 

"What harm will it do?" continued Dr. Rush. "I am determined that no 
man shall rise on the day of judgment and say, 'Dr. Rush made me a drunk- 
ard.' " 

Drinking Paroxysms: Periodic Attacks. — In some cases the drinking 
paroxysms come on suddenly and after considerable periods of abstinence. 
Sometimes there is no premonition, but more frequently there is an alteration 
in appearance and temper that forewarns those who have any thing to do with 
the patient. In the case of a married man, the wife can almost always tell 
when an attack is coming on. The length of these attacks varies very much, 
more especially according to the duration of the disease in the patient. In 
the early history of the disease, the drinking bouts often last from one to 
three weeks, and during that time the patient is constantly drinking. As he 
cannot get the quantities of liquor that he requiies outside anywhere, he takes 
to drinking in his own rooms or house. Nothing will stop him. If hi-s friends 
or servants try to get him to leave off, he storms and rages and terrifies them 
into submission to his ways and wants. 

The Excuse for these Periodic Paroxysms. — His excuse for drinking 
is always that he is excessively weak and nervous and requires support, and 
that it is absolutely necessary for his life that he should have stimulants. 
His appetite soon disappears, and he only makes vain efforts to partake 
of any food that is brought to him. Great sleeplessness and restlessness 
comes on, and, in fact, the patient is often on the verge of delirium 
tremens when the disease abates, either gradually or suddenly, and he gets 
fairly well. 

Sudden End of the Drinking Paroxysms.— When it ends suddenly, it 
is generally from an attack of acute or subacute gastritis, for which he re- 
quires and seeks medical aid. The craving for drink having also disap- 
peared, he willingly submits to medical direction, and under judicious treat- 
ment recovers. When the attacks go off gradually, there are less severe 
gastric symptoms, and the craving having become less, there is a diminution 
in the gastric and nervous troubles. 

Increase of the Paroxysms. — After patients have lived for several years 
with these periodical attacks, the duration of attack diminishes in length, and 
they increase in frequency ; the cause of this being chiefly due to the effects 
on the gastric system. The stomach much sooner resents the large quantities 
of alcohol put into it, and consccpiently the drinking fits are cut short by at- 
tacks of gastritis, and often also enteritis. Rut from the attack being shorter,. 



256 Home ajstd Health. 

the interval of diminution in drinking also becomes shorter, so that the pa 
tient gradually goes from bad to worse. 

How Alcohol Injures the Physical System. — Dr. N. S. Davis having 
instituted a series of sphygxnographic observations of the effects of alcohol on 
the circulation, thus sums up the results in the Chicago Medical Examiner — 

1. Its presence in the blood directly interferes with the normal plaj of 
vital afFmities and cell action in such a manner as to diminish the rapidity of 
nutrition and disintegration, and consequently to diminish the dependent func- 
tions of elimination, calorification, and innervation ; thereby making a posi- 
tive organic sedative, instead of a diffusable stimulant, as is popularly sup- 
posed, both in and out of the profession. 

2. That the alcohol itself acts in the system exclusively as a foreign sub- 
stance incapable of assimilation or decomposition by the vital functions, and 
is ultimatelj ex jreted or eliminated without chemical change. 

The important bearing of these conclusions on the therapeutic and hygienic 
uses of alcoholic drinks must be obvious to all, and especially demands the 
careful attention of every member of the medical profession. 

Patent " Bitters " are Strong Liquors Drugged. — Nearly all the patent 
" bitters " are strong liquors drugged and doctored, and labeled medicine, for 
the sake of those whose appetites are stronger than their temperance prin- 
ciples, and who want their daily dram without being known as even " moder- 
ate drinkers." The wine-bottle of the side-board is better than the bitter- 
bottle in the closet ; or, in other words, it is better to drink openly at meals 
than to drink irregularly and in secret between meals. It is better to drink 
honest wine than hypocritical bitters.* 

Patent " Bitters " the Worst Form of Alcohol. — " If one must drink 
alcoholic liquors," said a distinguished physician to us lately, " let him drink 
them pure, not drugged with nameless poisons, and passed off on the com- 
munity on false pretenses." Of all temperate drinking the drinking of bit- 
ters is the most dangerous. And he who gets his prescription for indigestion 
from the advertising columns of the newspapers, no matter how conclusive the 
indorsements, nor how respectable the journal, may be morally sure that he 
is getting gin, whiskey, or rum, under pretense of medicine. 

" Cure of Drunkenness." — The first business of the intelligent attendant 
should be to shut off the supply of liquor, and the second to get the terrible 
poison out of the patient's system. The former work may be done at once ; 
the latter will require considerable time, the length being proportioned to the 
extent of the inroads made upon the physical system, and to the thorough- 
ness of the remedial treatment. 

* Christian Weekly. 



Alcohol and Health. 257 

The " Tapering-off System " Exploded.— The most rigid experimenta 
show that it is better to stop the liquor supply at once, instead of gradually 
dii«inishing the amount used until all is banished. An eminent physician, 
after carefully testing both the " gradual stoppage " and the " sudden stop- 
page " systems, gives the following opinion : " I am firmly convinced tliat the 
latter has every advantage over the former, and especially in those cases in 
which, at first appearance, it seemed that in cutting off at once the ent'ie 
supply thero would be the greatest i)cril." 

Treatment of Inebriates in Delirium Tremens. — In tl« "Archives 
Generales de Medicines," November, 1871, Dr. Decaisne wrote : "The use of 
opium in the treatment of delirium tremens is not unattended with danger 
on account of the large doses which it becomes necessary to arrive at pro- 
gressively in the majority of cases. I resolved to submit a certain number 
of patients to an entirely expectant plan of treatment, to determine whether 
simple regime and a withholding of the cause of the disease would give a re- 
sult similar to those caused by the principal medicinal agents recommended 
for this disease. Eight patients were submitted to the following regime: 
entire abstinence from wine and spirits : Some beer and an infusion of or- 
ange leaves were given as drinks. The diet was low ; a warm bath was 
given every day, and every morning each patient took a purgative draught 
containing sulphate of magnesia. This mode of treatment is capable of 
being often used with advantage. 

Delirium tremens must be carefully treated, in a way to restore physical 
strength speedily. If there is vomiting, give lime-water and milk, one tea- 
spoonful of the former to two or three of the latter, with a small piece of 
ice given every fifteen minutes for two hours. If this fails, then a large 
mustard plaster, should be given, applied over the abdomen, and the remedy 
first named repeated. As soon as the stomach will bear it, beef-tea should 
be given at short intervals, beginning with a tablespoonful and increasing 
gradually to a teacupful as needed ; it can be seasoned with black pepper, 
salt, and a small pinch of ground cloves. Chicken-tea will sometimes be 
borne more readily than beef-tea. From fluids we can soon pass on to some- 
thing more solid, such as eggs, toast, mutton-chops, etc. 

What to Avoid. — Two things are to be especially avoided in treatment. 
1. The use of tobacco* in any form; and 2. Water, except in limited quan- 
iities; although the thirst for it may be very great, there is danger in grati- 
fying it. Medical tinctures should not be used; hop-tea, wormwood-tea, 
capsicum, and highly-seasoned soups can be dispensed with as tending to 
keep up a desire for drink. Tobacco must be entirely avoided. 

♦Statistics show that nineti/-foiir per cent, of inehriates use tobacco. 
17 



258 Home and Health. 

Sleep and food are the main restoratives in the treatment, and the rem- 
edies should be directed to produce sleep, and enable the victim to take 
proper nouiishment and food. A convalescent inebriate possesses usually a 
Rreat appetite and rapidly gains flesh, and is hungry for his meals for weeks, 
after baring starved his system on alcohol. 



TOBACCO AND HEALTH, 

Effects of Tobacco on the System. — Some years ago, the French Gov- 
ernment directed the Academy of Medicine to inquire into the influence of 
tobacco on the human system. The report of the commission appointed by 
the Academy states that a large number of the diseases of the nervous sys- 
tem and of the heart, noticed in the cases of those affected with paralysis 
or insanity, were to be regarded as the sequence of excessive indulgence in 
the use of this article. The report also stated that tobacco seems primarily 
to act upon the organic nervous system, depressing the faculties, and influ- 
encing the nutrition of the body, the circulation of the blood, and the num- 
ber of red corpuscles in the blood. Attention was also called to the bad di- 
gestion, benumbed intelligence, and clouded memory of those who use tobacco 
to excess. 

Another Testimony. — A late article in the Journal of Science Review 
gives us the mischievous results of the use of tobacco, as shown by many 
experiments, and sums up as follows : — 

" Tobacco adds no potential strength to the human frame. Its work is 
destruction, and not construction. It cannot add one molecule to the plasm 
out of which our bodies are built up. On the contrary, it exerts upon it a 
most deleterious influence. It does not supply, but it diminishes, vital force. 
Tobacco belongs to the class of narcotic and exciting substances. It has no 
food value. Stimulation means abstracted, not added, force. It evolves the 
narcotic paralysis of a portion of the functions, the activity of which is es- 
sential to healthy life. 

"It will be said that tobacco soothes and cheers the >veary toiler and sol- 
aces the overworked brain. All such expedients are fallacious. When a 
certain amount of brain-work or hand-work has been performed, nature wants 
time to rest and recuperate, and all such devices for escaping from this neces- 
sity will fail. It is a bad poUcy to set the house on fire to warm our hands 
by the blaze. Let it then be clearly understood that the temporary excite- 
ment produced by tobacco is gained by the destruction of vital force, and 
that it contains absolutely nothing that can be of use to the tissues of the 
bodv." 



Tobacco and Health. 259 

other Testimonies.— Dr. Gibbons says: "Tobacco impairs digestion, 
poisons the blood, depresses the vital powers, causes the limbs to tremble, 
and weakens and otherwise disorders the heart." 

Dr. Willard Parker says that the manufacturers and users of tobacco " can- 
not recover soon, and in a healthy manner, from cases of injury or fever. 
They are more apt to die in epidemics, and more prone to apoplexy and 
paralysis." 

Dr. Hassock makes the use of tobacco one cause of " the alarming fre- 
.luency of apoplexy, palsy, epilepsy, and other diseases of the nervous 
system." 

Another result of the habit is the creation of a thirst, of which Dr. Rush 
says : " It cannot be allayed by water, for no sedative, or even insipid liquor, 
will be relished after the mouth and throat have been exposed to the stimu- 
lants of the smoke or the use of tobacco." 

Dr. Stephenson says that the salivary glands are so exhausted that " brandy, 
wbisky, or some other spirit is called for." 

We have before us excerpts, similar to the above, taken from the profcb- 
sional opinions of hundreds of able medical authorities. 

Tobacco Specially Harmful to the Young.— A writer in the Buffalo 
Medical Journal puts on record the following warning : " The use of tobacco 
is bad enough when begun in mature life, but it is infinitely worse when the 
foundations of the habit are laid in early years, as it seems to be the case 
here." 

A distinguished French physician, (M. Dccaisne,) has investigated the effect 
of smoking on thirty-eight boys, between the ages of nine and fifteen, who 
were addicted to the habit. Twenty-seven presented distinct symptoms 
of nicotine poison. In twenty-two there were serious disorders of the circu- 
lation, indigestion, dullness of intellect, and a marked appetite for strong 
drinks. In three there was heart affection ; in eight decided deterioration of 
blood ; in twelve there was frequent epistaxis ; ten had disturbed sleep, and 
four had ulceration of the mucous membrane of the mouth. 

All assert that its use is most injurious to young persons. Even the " Or- 
gan of the Tobacco Trade " admits that " Few things could be more per- 
nicious for boys, growing youths, and persons of unformed constitutions, than 
the use of tobacco in any of its forms." 

Tobacco and Paralysis. — A Buffalo cori-espondent of one of our dailies 
reports the following : " A case in my own intimate acquaintance has this 
very week appalled a large circle of friends in this city. The victim was 
exactly my own years, and a companion from early childhood. For thirty 
years, at least, he has been a daily smoker of the choicest cigars, but in all 
his other habits temperate and regular, and of excellent constitution — one, 



260 Home and TlEALTn. 

« 

who, of all men, would have laughed at the suggestion that tobacco was kill- 
ing him. A week ago last Saturday night he was stricken with a progressive 
paralysis, characteristic of nicotine, and on Sunday night he died. 

Tobacco and Early Physical Weakness .^-Says the Scalpel: "So far are 
we fronr. doubting its power over the moral and physical welfare of the race, that 
we have not a doubt that it has infinitely more to do with the physical imperfec- 
tion and early death of the children of its votaries, than its great associate, 
drunkenness itself. The deficiency of virile power in many instances of long- 
continued smoker? is very marked. Every surgeon of experience must have 
observed it. The local surgical and medical treatment most effective in these 
cases proves conclusively that it is to the debilitating and exhausting influ- 
ence of tobacco that these sad consequences are due." 

Tobacco Pollutes the Atmosphere. — A person who is saturated with 
tobacco, or tobacco-poisoned, acquires a sodden or dirty yellow hue ; two 
whiffs of his breath will scent a large room ; you may nose him before he 
takes his seat. Of this he is entirely unconscious ; he will give you the full 
force of his lungs, and for the most part such people have a great desire to 
approach and annoy you. " AVe have been followed," writes a physician, 
"round a large office-table by them, backing continually to escape the nui- 
Bance, till we had made a revolution or two before our motive was perceived." 

The Tobacco Appetite often Hereditary. — One of the most alarming 
facts brought out is the hereditary influence of this indulgence. The evil ef- 
fects of the habit are sometimes scarcely seen in the parent, but are manifest 
in the children. Not only the appetite, but disease and physical weakness 
are transmitted to the children. This fact, well authenticated, should awaken 
thoughtful consideration on the part of parents who are addicted to this use- 
less habit. 

The Excuses of Tobacco Users Trivial. — The pleas set forth for the 
use of tobacco are generally trivial and easily answered. The evil effects are 
so many and so evident that, as with intoxicating drinks, the only safe plan 
is total abstinence. The habit is disagreeable to friends, is injurious to the 
user, and has very little in its favor. Even its victims admit that it is use- 
less, if not positively injurious, and there are thousands who regret that they 
ever acquired the appetite. The only relief is a prompt and determined 
abandonment of tobacco, in every form and for all time. 

Smoking Worse than Chewing. — Smoking is less filthy than chewing, 
but is more injurious to health. Dr. Dixon, of the Scalpel, in an article 
strongly condemning the use of tobacco in every form, says : — 

" Our remarks apply in a much more forcible manner to smoking than to 
chewing. Some people are so silly as to suppose, because they do not spit 
while smoking, that no harm can ensue ; but they should remember that the 



Tobacco and Uealth. 261 

oil of tobacco, which contains the deadly nicotine, is volatilized, and circulates 
with the smoke through the delicate lining membrane of the mouth at each whiff 
of the cigar, and is absorbed by the extensive continuation of this membrane that 
lines the nostrils, and acts upon the whole body. The smoke of tobacco is in- 
deed much more rapid in its stupefying effect, as every professed smoker knows. 
It is usually called ' soothing ' by its votaries ; but this is, of course, only the 
first stage of stupefaction ; it acts precisely as opium or other narcotics do " 

Tobacco in the Form of Snuff. — " Tobacco in the form of snuff," ^ays 
Dr. Rush, " seldom fails of impairing the voice by obstructing the air." At 
a council of physicians held in London, the question of " snuff-using " came 
up for discussion, but it engaged the attention of the council for only a few 
minutes, the discussion being broken off by the unanimous adoption of a res- 
olution declaring the use of snuff to be " a useless and pernicious habit." 

" But I Can't Quit It ! " — Let the testimonies of the many thousands 
who have discontinued the use of tobacco — some of them in advanced age — 
answer. Said James Parton, who was a slave to the practice for thirty years, 
and who heroically broke from his chains on the instant of his resolution to 
do so ; "I have less headache, I enjoy exercise more, and step out much more 
vigorously. My room is cleaner, I think I am better tempered, as well as 
more cheerful and satisfied. I endure the inevitable ills of life with more 
fortitude, and look forward more hopefully to the coming years. It did not 
pay to smoke, but it decidedly pays to stop smoking." 

Testimony of John Q. Adams. — " In my early youth I was addicted to 
the use of tobacco in two of its mysteries — smoking and chewing. I was 
warned by a medical friend of the pernicious operation of this habit upon 
the stomach and the nerves ; and the advice of the physician was fortified 
by the results of my own experience. More than thirty years have passed 
away since I deliberately renounced the use of tobacco in all its forms ; and 
although the resolution w^as not carried into execution without a striggle of 
vitiated nature, I never yielded to its impulses ; and in the space of three or 
four months of self-denial, they lost their stimulating power, and I have never 
since felt it as a privation. I have often wished that every individual of the 
human race afflicted with this artificial passion could prevail upon himself to 
try but for three months the experiment which I have made, feeling sure 
that it would turn every acre of tobacco-land into a wheat-field, and add five 
years of longevity to the average of human life." 

Great Extent of the Tobacco Habit. — A writer in Blackwood's Mag- 
azine estimates the whole amount of tobacco grown on the face of the globe 
at four thousand millions of pounds ; and a close estimate shows that the 
world's tobacco costs, directly, at least one thousand millions of dollars annu- 
ally. To this has to be added the loss of the land on which it is grown, and 



202 Home and Health. 

of the thousands of persons engaged in its cultivation and manufacture. The 
wealth-producing power of both land and men is lost, because the product of 
their toil does not add wealth to the country, or increase the nation's power 
of producing wealth. Besides, the effect of tobacco growing is to impover- 
ish the soil. Gen. John H, Cooke, of Virginia, says : " Tobacco exhausts the 
land beyond all other crops. As a proof of this, every homestead from the 
Atlantic border to the head of tide-water is a mournful monument. It has 
been the besom of destruction, which has swept over this once fertile region." 
The use of tobacco is a tax on the health and wealth of the user, and money 
thus spent is worse than wasted. 



OPIUM-EATING AND HEALTH. 

Powerful Effects of Opium. — The quantity of opium necessary to cause 
death varies according to the circumstances and age of the person. Infants 
can bear a very small quantity — one drop of laudanum has been known to 
kill a child. Children are extremely susceptible to its influence. Two drams 
have been known to kill an adult. Opium kills in from four to twelve hours. 
Liquid preparations of opium and the salts of morphia act very rapidly. 

Symptoms of Opium Poison. — The patient trembles, becomes giddy, 
drowsy, and unable to resist the tendency to sleep, the stupor deepens 
until insensibility ensues. The pupils become contracted, the eyes and face 
congested, the pulse becomes slow and feeble. The respiration becomes slow 
— the breathing stertorous, profuse perspiration occurs, the coma becomes 
deeper, and death ensues. 

Treatment of Poison by Opium. — The stomach should be emptied by 
the stomach-pump, or by emetics. Twenty grains of zinc, or ipecac, or a 
tablespoonful of mustard or common salt will suffice to eject the poison. 
Copious draughts of warm-water should be given to keep up the vomiting. 
Strong coffee is an antidote, and brandy and ammonia should be frequently 
given by the mouth, or by injection. 

Opium-Chewing. — This terrible habit prevails muca more widely than 
many suspect. The appetite for it is generally caused by the use of the 
drug in prescriptions during sickness. Physicians and patients should 
carefully and intelligently guard against such evil effects, and in order to do 
this the drug should be used sparingly, and only when imperatively needed. 

Symptoms of Opium-Chewing. — Persons addicted to the use of opium 
are recognizable by the face, w^hich is sallow, pinched, and has a parchment- 
like appearance. The eyes become glassy and receding when deprived of the 
drug, there is an unsteady, trembling gait, depression of spirits, and great 
mental and even physical suffering. 



Opittm-eating cmd Health. 263 

Treatment for Cure. — Opium consumers must cut the habit off short ; 
no matter how terrible may be the craving, it is rarely expedient to gratify 
it. Total abstinence is the sure cure, as the appetite will remain if indulged 
in ever so little. Large doses of bromide of potassium are recommended as 
serviceable in counteracting the cravings experienced by the victims of this 
horrible vice. 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 

Time Required for Complete Change of Body.— We have noted in 
a previous chapter the fact that our bodies are continually wasting away, and 
that by food and drink they are as constantly repaired. We lose the fleshy 
particles of our bodies once a year, and the bones in seven years. Hence, in 
seven years we have possessed seven bodies of flesh and blood, and one 
frame of bones. We have not now a particle of flesh and bones we had seven 
years ago. The water we have drank, the flesh and vegetables we have 
eaten, being made of the component parts of our bodies, cause us to hanker 
and long for the same substances of which our bodies are composed. Like 
substances in us call for like substances without to supply the waste of the 
system. 

The Philosophy of Acclimation Explained. — Now, suppose we sud- 
denly change our climate from forty to thirty degrees north latitude. Tlie 
air, water, fruits, vegetables, and flesh all differ. The old particles composing 
our bodies, and brought from forty degrees north latitude, fly off as usual. 
This produces hunger and thirst, and we supply our wants by the water and 
food of thirty degrees north latitude, and continue for weeks to do so. This 
creates a conflict between the old substances of our bodies and the new flesh 
and blood continually forming, throws the electro-nervous force out of bal 
ance, and engenders disease. If we live and struggle on for seven years wc 
become acclimated^ because our old flesh and bones, formed by the substances 
of one latitude, have disappeared, and our entire systems are made of tlie 
substances of another latitude. 

Effects of Dry and Moist Climates. — It is not generally known, but 
it is nevertheless true, that a pure, moderately-dry air generally produces 
groat mental sprightliness, especially with full-blooded persons. A cloudy 
and moist atmosphere, on the other hand, produces mental relaxation, and, 
with many, mel'ancholy. This explains why suicides so often happen when 
the sty is overcast. The depressed mental state is thus further enhanced. 
Villeneuve reports that of every ten suicides which were committed in Paris 
during two years, nine took place in the rainy season. The influence of tlie 



264 Home and Health. 

climate is also well exemplified in the case of mountaineers. Tli«^y are 
quicker, more active, and excitable. 

Remarkable Facts Incident to a Moist Climate. — A speakei", in a re- 
cent address in one of our chief cities, alluded particularly and approvingly 
to the fact that the influence of a moist atmosphere is strikingly illustrated 
in the case of individuals who hare been weakened by previous illness, fron 
the great number of suicides committed at the close of the year 1828, in 
the Dutch places Groningen and Sneek, Most of the unfortunates had 
suffered from the epidemics of 1826 and 182*7. In the city of Sneek, with 
6,000 inhabitants, not less than four suicides took place in one week, and 
among those was a boy eight years old. * 

Influence of Climate upon National Characteristics. — The Swiss 

naturalist, Desor, in a recent essay, describes the climate of North America 
as very changeable and dry. After having explained a number of phenomena 
produced by the climate in general, he depicts its influence upon the inhab- 
itant of this country. He derives from the climate his activity, acuteness, 
his tall stature, his eagerness for gain, his practical talent, and his love of 
adventure. It is also well known that the inhabitants under a preponderating 
clear sky possess more talent for art, while those under a gloomy sky have 
more propensity for speculation and thought. 

Influence of Trees upon Climate. — The subject of " foresting," or the 
planting of trees, upon the climate of a country, and of " deforesting," or 
destroying the forest growth, continues to excite much interest throughout 
the world, as it is now well established that the climate of many localities 
has been materially altered by the one or the other of these processes. Sys- 
tematic efforts have been made, in different parts of the world, for intro- 
ducing a growth of trees where these had either disappeared or had never 
been known, from which important results have followed in many instances. 
In consequence of which, Egypt, which formerly had only about six rainy 
days every year, since being replanted on a large scale, has already attained 
to twenty-four. 

Effect of Water upon Climate. — If we are to believe M. Rayet, the 
climate of the Isthmus of Suez will undergo a transformation in consequence 
of the arrival of the sea in Lake Timsah and in the basin of the Bitter 
Lakes, and the creation of two immense sheets of water in a region where 
there existed nothing but marsh land occasionally inundated by the Nile. 
This modification of climate has already become observable. f According to 
the evidence of persons who have resided on the spot as old employes of the 

• Condensed from a report of one of the New York Club meetings, 
t Medical Reporter. 



Climate cmd Health. 265 

Suez Company, the rains are much more frequent than they were five or six 
years since. Apropos of this report, M. Buys-Ballot has addressed to the 
Academy of Sciences of Paris the conclusions of a work published some time 
mice, in which he has shoAvn that the draining of Harlem Lake has mod- 
ified the climatic condition of the country. The result of numerous investi- 
gations is, that since the drying of these 19,000 hectares the temperature 
has risen half a degree in summer, and has fallen half a degree in winter. 

How to Relieve Certain Malarious Districts. — Sixteen square miles 
of the swampy, unhealthy country along the coast of the Bay of Biscay, in 
the Department of the Landes, were planted with millions of trees — especially 
the cork oak and swamp pine — with surprisingly beneficial results. The 
trees drained the land so as to destroy the swamp fevers, and to change it 
into a healthy country with pine forests. Biscay law requires that for every 
tree cut doAvn two shall be planted, and it is said to be executed with rigor- 
o\ e severity. 

Evil Effect of Sudden Transitions in Climate. — The diseases espe- 
cially affected in this way are phthisis, pulmonalis, pneumonia, bronchitis, 
Bright's disease, diseases of the brain and nervous system, and diseases in 
general of persons who have reached the age of seventy years and upward. 
Scarlatina and diphtheria are also subject to the same influences. Persons 
affected by these diseases, who might live much longer under favorable cir- 
cumstances, often die suddenly through quickly-succeeding alternations of 
heat and cold, dryness and dampness. Invalids weakened by old age are 
naturally more susceptible of these ill effects than others ; but children are 
not particularly affected by them except in cases of pulmonary disease. 

Are Frequent Rains Beneficial ? — The relative humidity or degree 
of saturation of the air is of greater sanitary significance than the rainfall, 
but both are important. In a city the rain washes the air, as well as the 
streets and sewers, of many impurities, the presence of which would be 
prejudicial to health. It should be remembered that the relative humidity 
is not always, or even generally, high when rain falls, which is easily 
understood when it !s borne in mind that the state of the higher atmos- 
phere may be and is very different, generally, from that of the lower. 
In most of the Middle States, especially those near the sea coast, De- 
cember is the month in which the relative humidity is highest, but it is 
the one in which the rainfall is least. The following is the order of the 
months, according to their mean relative humiditj beginning with the one in 
which it is the highest : December, January, August, November, September, 
March, October, February, July, (same as last,) June, April, May. The fol- 
lowing is the order for ISYV : January, October, December, Novembe'-, Sep 
tcmber, August, March, June, February, April, May. 



266 Home and iIealth. 

The following is the order of the months according to the rainfall, begui- 
ning with the one in whi3b it is greatest : July, September, March, Novem- 
ber, June, February, October, August, April, January, May, December. The 
following is the order for 1877: October, July, June, November, March, Sep- 
tember, April, January, May, February, December, August. 



TEMPERAMENT AND HEALTH. 

Varieties of Physical Temperament. — Temperament is the peculiai 
physical and mental character of an individual arising from the relations 
and proportion between the constituent parts of the body. The tempera- 
ment is the visible measure of a man's life-force. Mere vegetative life is 
the sum total of the powers that resist decay. We call its degree the con- 
stitution, and each man has his own in common with other animals. A man 
has a strong or weak vital force, he breathes powerfully or feebly, he feels 
to advantage or disadvantage. If he has strong vital force he is usually fond 
of animal food, and is very active and energetic in his movements. If he is 
weak in his vital force, or lymphatic in temperament, he is more sluggish in 
his movements, and is satisfied with food which yields less fibrine and red 
globules to his blood. Vegetarians are generally " cold-blooded " and phleg- 
matic. Temperaments are classified as sanguine, hilious, lymphatic, encephalic, 
and nervous. 

Sanguine Temperament. — A man of fine physical conformation and with 
plenty of red blood flowing through his face, with clear, bright, blue or gray 
eyes, capacious lungs, broad shoulders, and wavy brown hair and beard, is of 
the highest sanguine temperament. He has high vital force, and if he has a 
well-organized brain and a good early education, he is susceptible to the best 
influences. 

Bilious Temperament. — A lean man with well-defined and hard muscles, 
and .ittle or no fat, tall and slender-limbed, with brown hair and beard and 
gra) eyes, very active and energetic in his movements, has the highest de- 
gree of executive and vital force combined ; he is sanguinerbiliou?, the bile 
hidhig the red blood in his face makes him darker. 

Lymphatic Temperament. — A man with full and well-rounded person, 
and a much paler face, and whiter, straight hair and beard, with short limbs 
dud fingers, and built like a fat person, is slower in his movements and pas- 
sions, and colder in temperature. He is lymphatic in temperament. 

Encephalic Temperament. — This temperament is characterized by an 
unusual development of the anterioi brain. Vital vigor is indicated by a 



Tempera/ment and Health. 267 

broad base to the head, a broad and full development of the lower brain, a 
healthy and lively color to the skin. Those possessing the sanguine tempera- 
ment, with its accompanying mental vigor, have great capacity in executing 
all the functions of their organs, but they attain a far less degree of longevity 
than those of the mixed temperaments, encephalic and bilious sanguine. 

Nervous Temperament. — The nervous temperament is characterized bj 
greater excitability and sensibility than the bilious, by mental activity, by 
greater delicacy of person, and less muscular development, is produced by a 
head of less occipital strength than the bilious, and less basilar development 
than the sanguine. As the basilar organs are not very deep, the person is 
not very fleshy, nor the muscular system stout. This temperament does not 
produce the greatest extremes of virtue or vice. It is adapted to pursuits 
which require intelligence and readiness, with respectable or moderate force 
of character. It is much more easily affected by medicine than the bilious 
temperament, and much more liable to diseases from slight causes, but less 
iable proportiouably, to obstinate chronic attacks. 



PRECAUTIONS AND HEALTH. 

Eating, Sleeping, and Speaking — Simple Precautions. — Never eat 
nurriedly, because it causes indigestion. 

Never dine in excitement, because the blood is called to the brain which 
ought to aid digestion. 

Never swallow food without thorough chewing, because it brings on dys- 
pepsia. 

Never eat when you do not want it, because when you shall want you can- 
not eat. 

Never sleep with your mouth open, because the air breathed with carbonic 
acid disturbs the mucous membranes. 

Never go to rest without washing the hands and face, because more dirl 
accumulates on the skin in the day than in the night, and is re-absorbed 
during the night. 

Never begin a journey until breakfast is eaten. 

After speaking, singing, or preaching in a warm room in winter, do not 
leave it immediately. In leaving, close the mouth, put on the gloves, wrap 
up the neck, and put on a cloak or overcoat before passing out of the door. 
The neglect of these simple precautions has laid many a good and useful 
man into a premature grave. 

Never speak under a hoarseness, especially if it requires an effort, or pain 
ful feeling. 



268 Home and Health. 

Danger from Wet Clothes. — Few persons understand fully the reason 
why wet clothes exert such a chilling influence. It is simply this : Water, 
when it evanorates, carries off an immense amount of heat, in what is called 
the latent t cm. One pound of water in vapor contains as much heat as nine 
or ten pounds of liquid water, and all this heat must, of course, be taken 
iTora the body. If our clothes are moistened with three pounds of water — 
^hat is, if by wetting they are three pounds heavier — these three pounds will, 
in drying, carry off as much heat as would raise three gallons of ice-cold water 
to the boiling point. No wonder that damp clothes chill us. 

Danger from Cosmetics. — Ladies who use cosmetics to give an artificial 
"vhiteness and softness to their complexions, will do well to read a little pam- 
phlet published by Dr. Lewis A. Sayre, of New York, describing three cases 
of lead palsy which have come under his notice. In these three cases the 
disease was clearly attributable to the lead, which is an essential ingredient 
in nearly all the nostrums sold under the names of "Bloom of Youth," 
■' Beautifying Lotion," and the hke. By the use of proper remedies the pa- 
tients recovered, but for a long time they were as completely palsied as paint- 
ers are who work much with white lead paint. The poison is absorbed by the 
4Rin and penetrates to the nerves. 

Danger from Lamp Explosions. — Scarcely a week passes but we read 
jiccounts of frightful accidents from kerosene lamps exploding, and killing or 
.earring for life men, women, and children. A simple knowledge of the in- 
flammable nature of the liquid may put a stop to nearly all the accidents. As 
the oil burns down in the lamp, inflammable gas gathers over the surface. 
When the oil is nearly consumed, a slight jar will inflame the gas, and an ex- 
plosion follows. K the lamp is not allowed to burn over half way down, acci- 
dents are almost impossible. " What, then, shall we do ? " Fill your lampn 
in the morning. 

How to Test Dangerous "Kerosene." — There is one simple, and, for 
rvactical purposes, satisfactory method of determining the character of all 
such mixtures, and which applies equally as well to the common oils. Let a 
few drops be poured into a saucer, and apply a match ; if the material burns, 
reject it as unsafe. The fact that the material can be set on fire at the 
ordinary temperature of our dwellings, should be sufficient evidence to a per- 
son of ordinary intelligence that, when employed in the household, it may at 
the first thoughtless or careless act become the cause of a frightful ac- 
cident. 

Caution in Cleansing Wells. — As a rule, never descend into a well with- 
out first lowering down a candle or lamp, to be sure that it does not contain 
foul air. Wells in barn-yards that are used in winter for stock, and seldom 
used in summer, are very liable to be foul at this season. While the spring> 



Precautions and Health. 2o9 

are low, in August or September, is a good time to clean them out, but let no 
one go down without using the above precaution.* The " foul air " is car- 
bonic acid, and no one can live in it an instant. If a candle or lamp will 
burn freely, there is no danger. The carbonic acid is heavier than common 
air, and accumulates at the bottom of wells. The candle will go out as soon 
as it strikes the carbonic acid, and thus show how much there is in the we'.l. 
To get it out is not difficult, provided there is water in the well. All that is 
needed is to pump out the water and dash it in again. The water will absoi I) 
an equal volume of cai'bonic acid, and the agitation will mix sufficient air witii 
it to allow combustion to proceed, and if a bundle of straw is ignited and 
lowered into the well, the heat will cause the foul air to ascend. We hai^e 
succeeded in getting out the carbonic acid from a well simply by dropping 
bunches of burning straw into it. The blaze would at first be extinguished 
when it struck the carbonic acid, but the heat is more or less retained, and 
sets the air in motion. 

Caution Concerning the " Tea-pot." — When any tin-lined vessel, espe 
cially the tea-pot, becomes rusted or blackened inside, there is danger in its use. 
The acid contained in the tea combines with the iron of the exposed portions 
of the vessel, and forms a chemical compound, not unlike ink. It corrodes 
and darkens the teeth, and cannot be inoffensive to the stomach. I have seen 
the discoloration both of natural and artificial teeth prove so obstinate from 
this cause as to require several scourings with soap and ashes, with a stiff 
brush, to remove it. When housekeepers hear any of the family remarking, 
" This tea tastes like ink," it is time to examine, possibly to throw away, the 
tea-pot. The most palatable and wholesome tea is made by steeping in a 
bright tin or porcelain cup, then pouring into a freshly-scalded earthen tea- 
pot. Thus treated it will never acquire the astringent quality so deleterious 
to the teeth and to health. 

Caution About Laughing Gas. — The use of nitrous oxide gas should be 
avoided in all cases of diseases of the lungs in which the breathing is much 
embarrassed, and when there is evidence of either serious brain or heart 
disease. 

Caution Concerning Ice-Cream. — An eminent physician in France hap 

investigated the article known in cities as street-corner ice-cream, and find- 
it to contain poisonous coloring matter, which produces serious ^ymptoms 
when taken in a continued course, and is a prolific cause of scrofulous erup- 
tions and dropping out of the hair among the lower classes. 

Caution in Carrying Lead Pencils. — There is often danger in carrying 
lead pencils in the pocket. Several cases of deaths are recorded of persons 

* American Agriculturisl. 



2Y0 IIoME AND Health. 

who were pierced by pencils carried in the pocket. We should be careful to 
place the pencil, or other sharp instrument, in such a way in the pocket as to 
provide against such danger. 

Visiting Infected Rooms. — Avoid entering a sick-room while in th? 
3tate of perspiration, because in cooling off the pores absorb freely ; uoi 
should a person sit between the sick and the fire. Do not approach con- 
tagious diseases with an empty stomach. 

Dangerous Medicines. — Thousands of deaths take place every year 
from the unauthorized use of dangerous medicines. They often occur on this 
wise : A person is suffering; the family physician is called ; he writes a pre- 
scription ; it is taken ; grateful relief is experienced ; patient desires to know 
the name of the marvelous remedy, bears it in mind, and if there is some- 
thing similar he ventures to send for it (the remedy) direct to the druggist. 
On being relieved again he becomes enthusiastic, and volunteers advice to his 
friends. They are relieved — sometimes — and forthwith he begins to think 
he knows "about as much as any of the doctors." A little later, it is not 

unusual to see a record in the newspapers that Mr. was " found dead in 

his bed this morning." Remember, that a prescription providing a remedy 
for one disease, may prove perilous in another. 

Dangerous Medicines — Two Good Rules. — 1. Never to keep danger- 
ous medicines in the house. 

2. Never to use a dangerous drug, except by the immediate advice of your 
family physician. 

Mistakes in Prescriptions. — The number of perilous mistakes in put- 
ting up prescriptions by druggists has become alarmingly frequent. A phy- 
sician assures us, that eleven times during the last year his prescriptions 
were answered by the return of substances not requested. Sometimes mis- 
takes are alleged to be owing to the careless handwriting of the physicians. 
Not a few of them are said to be made by assistants who were too young to 
be employed in such business. In some countries the number of apothecary 
shops is limited by law, and no one can be principal or assistant who has not 
studied a certain time, and passed certain examinations. The requirements 
in England and France are very rigid in this respect, as they ought to be in 
our^wn country in so serious and responsible a business. 

Using: Medicines as Stimulants — Danger. — When in the use of any 
feniedy you find yourself inclined to employ it oftener, or in larger quanti- 
ties, to produce the same effects, whether it be spirits, tobacco, snuff, tea, 
coffee, chloroform, ether, or any other stimulant or poison, be assured that 
you are on the very verge of destruction, and that you are liable, any day, to 
instant death. When you find yourself inclined to " take " anything, even a 
cup of tea or coffee, to enable you to perform any work in hand, menial or 




Precautions and Health. 271 

bodily, avoid it as you would a deadly poison. The three greatest men of 
this century, in our country, in pulpit, bar, and forum, died drunkards ; and 
long before their deaths it was known to their friends that they were " inca- 
pable of an effort " without being first " fortified by a glass of brandy." 

How to Escape Fever Infections.* — In a properly-chosen, well-lighted, 
well-aired, well-scrubbed dwelling, with thoroughly-washed inmates, there is 
comparatively little fear of infectious poisons. But it is well for every on<i 
to be acquainted with some of the easiest means of resistance and of escape, 
when that gigantic evil approaches, or when duty compels us to go within its 
range. Knowledge of the reality will prevent foolish exaggerations and diir • 
inish useless fear. 

Fever Infections— Avoid the Poison. — All infectious fevers (typhus, 
scarlatina, small-pox, etc.) arise from the reception of a subtle poison into 
the blood, which, spreading through the. system, is exhaled from it princi- 
pally by the skin and lungs. This poison has been actually condensed out 
of impure air poisoned by filth and decay, and appears in the form of a 
dirty-looking, half-solid, half-fluid, half-gelatinous stuff, a few drops of 
which inserted into the veins of a dog will inoculate that dog with typhus 
fever. 

Fever Infections — Ventilation. — The poisonous infection is lighter 
than air, and ascends. If we allow it to escape at the top of the room the 
air below is safe. This is the reason why in fever wards few cases of in- 
fection occur ; without the ventilators in the ceiling they would be dens of 
death. The circulation of fresh air in a fever-chamber by open doors and 
windows must be produced several times a day, (care being taken that the 
patient be not directly exposed to the draught,) or, still better, let the upper 
part of a window be kept permanently open, and if the patient be in a box- 
bed let there be several holes bored through the roof of the bed, to allow 
the exit of infectious vapor in the direction of the open window. 

Fever Infection — Avoid Absorbing It. — A person may breathe infec- 
tion a thousand times over without any bad results ; the poison is innocent 
unless it enters the blood. The thin delicate skin of the lungs, composed of 
minute cells, is an active absorbent, and whatever is inhaled comes in con 
tact with the absorbing surface, and is liable to pass into the blood. A 
medical man may be exposed to infection ninety-nine times with impunity, 
but on the hundredth occasion the absorbent vessels may be pec .liarly ac- 
tive, they suck in the poison, and he falls a victim. When the pulse is weak 
absorption is strong and active ; when the pulse is strong absorption is weak ; 
regular and nourishing food and fresh air will, therefore, diminish the risk 

♦Kobert Fairman, M.D. 



272 Home and Health. 

of the poison entering the blood, while want of sleep, and fasting, and im 
pure air, will of course greatly increase it. 

When infection is not destroyed or dispersed by proper ventilation, it ad- 
heres to article? of furniture and clothing, but especially to cotton and 
woolen material, and everything must be done to secure its dispersion by ven- 
tilating these also. They should be exposed to a free current of air, or 
steeped for twelve hours in cold water before washing, and not folded up 
for some time. Black or dark substances absorb infection more easily than 
white ; light dresses are therefore safest for nurses, and hence, too, one of 
tlie advantages of white-washing in the dwellings of the poor. 

Fever Infection and Flannel — Wear Flannel. — Cold, damp, and shiv- 
ering chilliness also produce debility, which will render the absorbing vessels 
active ; the use of flannel next the skin is therefore of the greatest impor- 
tance. -It is stated that the ancient Italians who lived near the poisonous 
Pontine marshes of Italy, suffered less from fever than the moderns, as 
they wore warm and fleecy clothing, and that now the evil has been greatly 
arrested by flannel again coming into use. Laborers in such places fall 
victims in great numbers unless this precaution be adopted. 

Fever Infection and Fear. — As far as possible avoid fear. Fear is 
also a fruitful source of infection, for it weakens the pulse and the whole 
frame. Travelers in the East have told that when a dog is suddenly bitten 
by a rattlesnake, the wound is not considered half so deadly as when the 
dog has seen the reptile, and stood trembling before it ; fear in this case aids 
and quickens the poison. Chai*m& and amulets, met with occasionally among 
the poor of our country, and frequently in foreign ones, may thus actually 
be useful by inspiring confidence, although it is the confidence of supei'- 
stition. 

Poisonous Soap. — A common and annoying form of skin-disease, "ek- 
zema," is sometimes produced by bad soap. The soap that seems to suffer 
most in analytical experiments is the cheaper kind of " Old Brown Windsor," 
which is made from putrid animal matter extracted from heaps of decaying 
bones, which are described as emitting a stench that is intolerable. The 
brown color which is given to the higher-priced Brown Windsor by artificial 
means this cheaper soap gets quite sufficiently from the filthy fat from whicn 
it is made ; and the stench, which even the saponifying process does not quite 
•-emove, is disguised by the perfume which is afterward added. 

Death from Nicotine. — A case of death from nicotine recently occurred 
under the following circumstances : The father of a little girl, in an endeavor 
to "heal a sore on her lip," applied to it the contents of a " rank " pipe-stem. 
The victim was almost immediately seized with the peculiar symptoms of to 
bacco-poisoning, and died a few hours afterward. 



Precatitions mid Health. 273 

Poison of Quinces. — In France, recently, a lady was poisoned to death 
by the exhalations of quinces. She slept in a room in which they were kept, 
with doors and windows closed, and died in a short time. The odor of quince 
blossoms is also highly injurious. 

Orange Peel Poisonous. — Fatal consequences may follow the swallow- 
ing of the rind of oranges The oil of the rind is highly acrid, and adds 
greatly to the noxious quality of the indigestible mass. 

Quite recently a child something over a year old was attacked with vio 
lent dysenteric symptoms, for which no cause could be assigned. The attack 
came on during the passage of a steamer from San Diego. The symptoms 
were so identical with those which arise from poisoning by orange peel, that 
the physician inquired particularly if the child had had an opportunity of 
getting this substance in its mouth. He was informed that it had been play- 
ing with an orange, and nibbling at it, just before the attack of the disease. 
The discharges from the bowels were frequent, and consisted of blood and 
mucus. After a week of severe enteric inflammation the child died. Thousrh 
but a small quantity must have been swallowed, yet a very small quantity of 
such an indigestible and irritating substance will often produce most serious 
consequences. 

Danger in Carrying Friction Matches. — Many persons have the habit 
of carrying friction matches loosely in their pockets, and using these at the 
same time quite indiscriminately for carrying tobacco, candies, cakes, and 
other eatables. Aside from the danger of ignition of the matches, which 
might cause serious burns, a greater danger arises from the fact that the tips 
of the matches, highly charged with phosphorus, are liable to break oif and 
mix with those eatables in the pocket, and in that way find their way into 
the stomach, and occasion fatal accidents of poisoning. Several such cases 
have occurred, and point to the necessity of greater care in carrying and 
using matches. 

Care Concerning Poisonous Candies. — In no class of articles intended 
for consumption is the use of poisons so free as in candies and confections. 
Arseniate of copper, copperas, white lead and litharge, (or red lead,) and the 
aniline colors, red, green, or blue, and other poisons, mineral and vegetable, 
are frequently employed in the manufacture of candies. There are confec- 
tioners who do not use such dangerous drugs, or who use them so sparuigly 
that they work no immediate appreciable harm to the consumer ; but otters 
are neither so scrupulous nor so well informed about the real nature of the 
poisons which impart the desired vividness of color or fineness of flavor to 
their products. Bright, highly-colored, handsome candies always sell better 
than dull, plain varieties. The beautiful tints can be had most cheaply and 
satisfactorily hy the use of the virulent mineral poisons — chiefly arseuiates 
18 



274 Home and Health. 

and preparations of copper and lead. Be cautious, therefore, in purchasing 
candies to buy only of manufacturers or dealers who are scrupulously carefu] 
in their preparation. 

Death from Chloroform. — Dr. Charles Anderson, of Cincinnati, calls 
attention, iu the A77ie7'ican Jotirtial of Medical Science^ to a very singular 
circumstance attending the inhalation and use of chloroform. Many of those 
who have died from its use have taken it repeatedly, and often for a consid- 
erable time, without any unpleasant symptoms, whereas, an attempt to give it 
a short time afterward has proved fatal. Thus, one patient who had taken it 
frequently during ten years, died from forty drops. Another had taken it 
one hundred times, and had once been under its influence five hours ; the last 
dose, which was fatal, consisted of an inhalation or two from a chloroformed 
handkerchief. Dr. Anderson expresses the opinion that in these cases there 
exists a sort of floating idiosyncrasy — "one that may be in him to-day, and 
off to-morrow ; but if, while under its influence, he inhales the vapor of chlo- 
roform, he is almost sure to die. I was on the point of saying, that if he 
inhales the slightest quantity of the vapor of chloroform it will prove 
fatal." 

Care Concerning Ice-Cream. — Ice-creams may be colored as freely as 
any other confections. The brilliant red tint of strawberry cream may be 
attained by litharge or rosaline ; the splendid green tint of pistachio cream 
(so-called) may be derived from arseniate of copp^ more economically than 
from the pistachio nut. It does not follow that the confectioners who make 
these colored creams know that they are using poisonous ingredients for pro- 
ducing tints or flavors. They may obtain the articles from other persons 
who manufacture and sell them. 

Danger of Green-Colored Materials. — In the use of green papers, 
tarlatans, artificial flowers, and other green-colored materials, great care and 
discrimination should be exercised, as the color frequently contains arsenic 
in the form of the brilliant, but very poisonous, arseniate of copper, known 
as Schiele's Schweinfurt, and Paris Green. Such paper is sold in many stores 
for ornamental purposes, and even used in wrapping candies, and for Kin- 
dergarten material and toys. These colors and materials containing them, 
among which are green wall-paper and window-shades, and the bright green 
tarlatans and crapes used for evening dresses, etc., are not only dangerous in 
the hands of children, lest they may get particles of the poisonous color into 
their mouth or inhale its dust, but also from the comparatively large amount 
of arsenic they contain, and by the fact that the color is slowly decomposed 
by moisture and heat, and passes poisonous arsenious gases into the air. The 
use of bright green wall-papers and window-shades in sitthig and sleoping- 
rooms should never be permitted, unless the color be tested and found free 



Precautions a/rid Health. 275 

of arsenic. Wall-paper in particular has caused many deaths and cases oJ 
severe illness, 

Ho'w to Detect Arsenic in Colors. — The green arsenious colors an- 
soluble in ammonia water, (hartshorn;) if, therefore, a little amraouia water 
16 poured on strips of the paper or crape in a plate, a disappearance of the 
color or such a change in it as indicates the removal of green, makes the 
presence of arsenic probable. To identify its presence, strips of the paper 
or fabric should be immersed in a little ammonia water for a few minutes , 
about ten drops of the water are then poured upon a glass pan or plate, ana 
a small ciystal or piece of a crystal of nitrate of silver is placed in the cen- 
ter of the liquid. If a yellow turbidity forms around the crystal, it indicates 
the presence of arsenic. 

Be Cautious of Poisonous Vegetables. — There are many beautiful and 
innocent-looking forms of vegetable life to be met with in our gardens and 
hedges, which are yet full of deadly poison, while others, from their close re- 
semblance to nutritious articles of food, are often partaken of by mistake, and 
fatal accidents are consequently of too frequent occurrence. Here is a partial 
Ust of them : " Monkshood," or aconite ; " fool's-parsley," a species of hem- 
lock ; buttercups (often poisonous to children's hands;) laburnam seeds; 
deadly-nightshade (half a berry of the dark purple has caused death ; ) bella- 
donna (poison lies in the fruit answering to the potato apple ; ) leaves of the 
common laurel ; the wild arum ; and one kind of mushrooms. The mush- 
rooms proper to be used in cookery grow in the open pasture land, for those 
that grow near or under trees are poisonous. The eatable mushrooms first 
appear very small, and of a round form on a little stalk. They grow very 
rapidly, and the upper part and stalk are w^hite. As they increase in size, 
the upper part gradually opens, and shows a fringed fur of a very fine salmon 
color, which continues more or less till the mushroom has gained some size, 
and then turns to a dark brown. These marks should be attended to, and 
likewise whether the skin can be easily parted from the edge and middle, and 
whether they have a pleasant smell. Those which are poisonous have a 
yellow skin, and the under part has not the clear flesh -color of the real mush- 
room ; besides which they smell rank and disagreeable, and the fur is white 
or yellow. 



ANTIDOTES FOR POISONS-HYDROPHOBIA. 

Animals Affected by Hydrophobia. — Man, and many of the lower an 
imals, are subject to madness, or hydrophobia. In animals the disease is 
called rabies, or canine madness. Dogs, cats, and wol\ es arc mostly its sub- 
jects, but sometimes goats, pigs, horses, and cows are the victims. The poi 



276 Home and Health. 

son is communicated by means of the saliva through wounds made by the 
teeth, and may occur at any season of the year. 

Period 0*^ Development. — The period of its develoyment, after the 
subject hae been bitten, and the virus communicated, varies considerably 
CTsually it appears within two months. Cases have been mentioned, where 
the disease did not develop for ten, or twelve, or fifteen months. 

Symptoms of Hydrophobia. — In hydrophobia, the victim becomes mel- 
ancholy, and his fear keeps him on the watch for some development of the 
disease. If the part bitten becomes painful, and begins to inilame, his an- 
guish becomes intensified. The skin becomes hot and dry, the pulse rapid 
and weak, and there is much thirst. In two or three days the muscles of the 
throat, especially those of deglutition, become sore and stiff. Attempts to 
swallow are attended with spasmodic contraction of these muscles, and of the 
respiratory muscles. Convulsive movements become more frequent, and easily 
excited by pouring out water, cold currents of air, changing of bed-clothes, or 
shutting doors hastily. Sometimes general convulsions occur. The thirst be- 
comes intense, but the patient fpars to relieve it, for fear of bringing on the 
spasms, or of choking. The eyes are blood-shot and staring, saliva flows from 
the mouth, the voice is husky, and the countenance manifests extreme terror. 
As death approaches, the skin becomes clammy and cold, the pulse almost 
gone, and respiration irregular. Convulsions, or exhaustion, soon terminate 
the sufferings of the unfortunate victim. 

Treatment of Hydrophobia. — 1. The wound inflicted by the bite of an 
animal suspected of rabies should be washed and sucked as in cases of 
wounds incurred in dissections, and afterwards cauterized thoroughly. Cut- 
ting out the wounded part is better, in most cases, than cauterizing. Some 
recommend a tight ligature placed around the limb above the wound, before 
washing, and excision, to prevent absorption of the poison. This is more 
useful when the bite is on the finger or toes. The excision should extend 
some distance into the healthy tissue, and the Avound be afterward thoroughly 
cauterized. Resort should be had to a physiciiin the first moment possible — 
washmg and sucking the wound is of the first importance. 

2. Spirits of hartshorn is said to be an excellent remedy. The wound 
Bhould be bathed constantly with it, and three or four doses taken inwardly 
during the day. The hartshorn decomposes chemically the virus insinuated 
into the wound, and immediately alters and destroys its deleteriousness. 

3. The following is reported as a " sure cure " for hydrouhobia : " The bite 
must be bathed, as soon as possible, with warm vinegar ana water, and when 
this has dried, a few drops of muriatic acid poured upon the wound will de- 
stroy the poison of the saliva, and relieve the patient from all present and 
future danger." 



Antidotes for Poisons — Hydrojphohia. 277 

4. I'he following remedy was habitually used by the late Mr. Youatt, a well- 
icnown veterinary surgeon, who was bitten by mad dogs eight times. The 
remedy was to allow the common nitrate of silver, easily procured, to filter 
into the wound. It decomposes the saliva, and in doing this destroys the 
virus. Sir Benjamin Brodie acted upon this, with complete success, in a case 
where a mad dog had licked the inside of a child's mouth. The best mode 
of application of the nitrate of silver is by introducing it solidly into the 
wound. 

5. A new cure for rabies was recently discovered by chance in France. A 
farmer, whose horse was affected, had him taken to a steep bank of a lake 
and thrown off into the water, supposing that the sudden plunge, and the fall 
together would kill the animal speedily. A few moments after, the horse 
rose to the surface, and the farmer was surprised to find that all symptoms 
of madness had vanished, and the horse soon made for the shore. On being 
taken out, he was found perfectly docile, and continued so, to the farmer's 
great delight, no traces of the disease ever reappearing. The theory resulting 
trom this incident is this : Hydrophobia, or rabies, is a disease of the brain, 
n which fear is predominant. In the case of the horse, the terror produced 
by the sud len plunge into the cold water was so far superior to that of the 
disease, as to act homeopathically upon the animal, and when the overpower- 
mg effect had passed, and the animal was fairly in the water, the cooling 
plunge had a beneficial effect. 

It is a mistake to suppose that mad dogs will always shun the water. On 
the contrary, they will often rush eagerly to it, and try to drink, although they 
*re generally unable to do so, because of paralysis of the jaw. 



ANTIDOTES FOR POISONS-SNAKE AND INSECT BITES. 

What Snakes are Poisonous. — Among the principal venomous reptiles 
nay be enumerated the whip-cord snake, cobra di capello, rattlesnake, viper, 
and adder. According to Dr. J. W. Howe, the bites of the first two produce 
a fatal result more quickly than the others. Rattlesnake bites stand next in 
order of virulence. Viper and adder bites are fatal only to very young ani- 
luals, or to children of tender years. In the more deadly classes the sym- 
toms following a bite, and the action of a poison, are the same. Rattlesnake 
bites are not uncommon in the Southern and Western States, and the mor- 
tality attending them is very great. The venom of this reptile is contained 
in a small sac situated at the base of the sharp tooth or fang. The tooth is 
channeled throughout the center to make a place of exit for the poison. 
When the tooth is inserted into the tissues, the poison-sac is compressed, 
.lUtl the venom ejected into the wound. 



278 Home and Health. 

Symptoms of Snake-Poison. — Persons bitten by one of these reptiles 
experience after a few minutes a feeling of great depression and faintness. 
The wound begins to swell rapidly, very soon, sometimes becoming of dark 
red color, and sometimes a bluish black. A sharp and intense pain is felt 
in the wound extending along the course of the principal nerves. Sometimes 
there is congestion of the brain and there may also be congestion of the 
lungs and mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. The pulse ia 
feeble, intermittent, and rapid. The pupils of the eyes become dilated, pain 
is felt over the abdomen, and vomiting and sometimes purging takes place. 
Delirium generally appears. The surface and extremities of the body grow 
cold and clammy, and breathing becomes difficult, stupor sets in, growing 
worse rapidly, and death terminates the sufferings soon. 

Antidotes for Snake-Bites. — 1. The general treatment should be the same 
as that pursued in cases of hydrophobia. Various internal remedies may be 
recommended, of which the best is carbonate of ammonia in doses of ten or 
twenty grains every half hour. Friction to the surface of the body, with 
pieces of flannel dipped in hot alcohol, is also beneficial. 

2. Sweet oil is a very good remedy. A plain farmer says : " It is now over 
twenty years since I learned that sweet oil would cure the bite of a rattlesnake, 
not knowing it would cure other kinds of poison. Practice, observation, and 
experience have taught me that it will cure poison of any kind, both on man 
and beast. The patient must take a spoonful of it internally and bathe the 
wound for a cure. To cure a horse it requires eight times as much as for a 
man. One of the most extreme cases of snake-bites occurred eleven years 
ago. It had been thirty days standing, and the patient had been given up 
by his physician. I gave him a spoonful of the oil, which effected a cure." 

3. Dr. Wier, of Philadelphia, states that the application of carbolic acid, 
immediately on the receipt of the injury, prevents both local and general 
poisoning. The pure acid, however, if applied in too great quantity, is 
liable to produce sloughing and even dangerous symptoms ; hence it is best 
used in the proportion of two parts of acid and one of alcohol. Given in- 
ternally, or applied to the wound at a late period, it produces no eflert It 
is believed to act, not by neutralizing the poison, but by causing contract'.on 
of the small vessels, and thus preventing its absorption. 

4. Prof. Halford, of the Uni\'ersity of Melbourne, Australia, has found an 
antidote for snake-poison which has proved successful in the most critical 
cases. It is simply liquid ammonia ejected into the vei^s. A small syringe, 
with a sharp point for the purpose of making the injection, is manufactured 
and sold in Melbourne, and now few travel in that country without one. 

Bites of Venomous Insects. — Among the symptoms following the bitef- 
of scorpions, tarantulas, centipedes, spiders, bees, hornets, etc., are head 



Antidotes for Poisons — Snake cmd Insect Bites. 279 

ache, vertigo, dimness of sight, and feverishuess. Sometimes the wound is 
not much inflamed, while in other cases it becomes red, painful, and swollen, 
ending in suppuration. 

Treatment of Insect-Bites. — 1. Cleanse the wound and spongt it thor- 
oughly with a strong solution of ammonia, and afterward cover it w.th linen 
:)r other suitable cloth, wet with solution of ammonia. 

2. Poison from bees, hornets, spider-bites, etc., is instantly arrested by the 
ijiplieation of equal parts of common salt and bicarbonate of soda, well 
rubbed in on the place bitten or stung. 



ANTIDOTES FOR POISONS-MISCELLANEOUS. 

Poison Ivy and Oak: Remedies. — 1. The common wild turnip, or 
" Jack-in-the-Pulpit," as it is called, is an excellent remedy when scraped and 
applied to the poisoned par'' When the blisters have flattened, apply cold 
cream to heal there soonex. 

2. A good remedy for poison by ivy is to dissolve a tablespoonful of cop- 
peras in two thirds of a teacup of boiling water, and when cold apply with a 
cloth to the poisoned places. 

3. Rubbing frequently with sweet oil is one of the best remedies. Some 
use salt and water, and find relief from that. 

4. A standing antidote for poison by dew, poison oak, ivy, etc., is to take a 
handful of quick lime, dissolve in water, let it stand half an hour, then paint 
the poisoned parts with it. Three or four applications will never fail to cure 
the most aggravated case. 

5. Olive oil is said to be a certain cure. In severe cases it is to be taken 
inwardly as well as applied externally. Dose : two tablespoonfuls three times 
a day, keeping the affected parts well oiled all the time. Anointing exposed 
parts with the oil will prevent poisoning. 

6. A few drops of kerosene oil, pubbed in with the point of the finger or a 
piece of sponge, is a certain and sptedy cure for the effects of the poison oak 
llopeat for three or four days. 

Lead Poisoning. — In cases where people frequenting freshly-painted 
rooms are affocted in a disagreeable manner, the poisoning is due to the pres- 
ence of lead i^ the pa\nt. Painters are often poisoned by washing paint from 
their hands bj means of turpentine. The turpentine brings the particles of 
lead into such a condition that they are easily absorbed by the skin. Lead is 
also found in hair dyes in large quantities, and the glazed visiting cards, so 
much in vogue a few years ago, owe their resemblance to " mother of pearl " 
to salt of lead. 



280 Home and PIealth. 

Antidotes for Lead Poisoning. — The topical application of cold in lead 
poisoning has been tried in Clichy, by Professor Monneret, in over forty cases 
with complete success. Iced drinks and injections, the cold shower-bath 
two or three times a day, and ice-bags or ice-poultices (of fragments of ice 
laid in dry linseed meal) are used. The pain and other symptoms disappear, 
" as if by enchantment," and in two or three days the bowels are natural. A 
red-lead manufacturer of France has discovered that the use of milk at their 
meals, which he has made obligatory on his workmen, to the extent of one 
liter daily, preserves those employed in lead works free from any symptoms cf 
lead-disease. 

Poisoning by the Filling of Teeth.— A young lady of St. Louis has 
been suffering for several years past from symptoms of mercurial poisoning. 
For a long time no cause could be ascertained, but a dentist finding that she 
had her teeth filled with mercurial amalgam, came to the conclusion that the 
chlorine contained in her saliva might have generated corrosive sublimate. 
He therefore removed the amalgam and put in gold. She has since recovered 
her health. 

Poisoning by Wall-Paper. — The habit of putting ou the wall layer after 
layer of wall-paper is very pernicious. Several cases have been discovered 
lately where there was a mass of decayed paste and paper two inches thick, 
with a large growth of fungi. The sickness of several members of the fam- 
ilies was attributed to the paper. 

Phosphorus Poisoning. — Commercial oil of turpentine is a good anti- 
dote for poisoning by phosphorus. There is no fatty degeneration of the tis 
sues, nor is there any free phosphorus found in the system of the animals 
experimented on. Phosphorus and turpentine oil form in the stomach a com- 
pound resembling spermaceti, which is readily excreted. 

Poisoning by Opium. — 1. Bisulphide of carbon will cure serious cases of 
poisoning by opium. Cloths should be saturated with it, and laid along each 
side of the spinal column its entire length, and covered to prevent evaporation. 

2. Fluid extract of belladonna, administered in doses of twenty drops eve^'y 
ten minutes, will arrest the progress of the opiate. 

3. Electricity will cure where everything else fails. 

Rovrto Act vrhen Poison has been Swallo-wed : General Directions. 
— 1. Whatever is done must be done quickly. The instant a person is known 
to have swallowed poison, by design or accident, give water to drink, cold or 
warm, as fast as possible, a gallon or more at a time, and as fast as vomited 
drink more; tepid water is best, as it opens the pores of the skin and pro- 
motes vomiting, and thus gives the speediest cure to the poisonous article. 
If pains begin to be felt in the bowels, it shows that part, at least, has passed 
downward ; then large and repeated injections should be .given, the object in 



Antidotefi for Poison — MiscelloMeous. 281 

hot! c'iisc8 being to dilute the poison as quickly and as largely as possible. 
Do not wait for warm water ; take that which is nearest at hand, cold or 
warm, for every second of time saved is of immense importance ; at the same 
time send instantly for a physician, and as soon as he comes turn the case into 
his hands, telling him what you have done. Drinking a gallon or two of 
simple water will not cure every case of poisoning, but it will cure many. 

2. If a poison swallowed is known to be an acid by the name on the bottle, 
jr by the discolored spots on the dress, or having a sour taste when the 
iongue is applied, alkalies will be the proper antidote — such as chalk, magnesia, 
soda, whhiug mixed with milk, or plaster torn from the wall, if nothing better 
is at hand. If, on the other hand, poisoning has occurred by an alkaline 
substance, such as pearl-ash, vinegar would arrest its progress. The antidote 
for corrosive sublimate, is eggs ; and for sugar-of-lead, epsom salts. 

3. A poison of any conceivable degree of potency which has been swallowed 
intentionally or by accident, may be rendered instantly harmless by swallow- 
ing two gills of sweet oil. An individual with a very strong constitution 
should take twice the quantity. This oil will neutralize every form of vege- 
table or mineral poison with which physicians or chemists are acquainted. 

4. Arsenic may be rendered inactive in the stomach by a dose of hydratcd 
peroxide of iron, which is prepared by pouring a solution of green vitriol 
boiled with nitric acid, or of chloride of iron, into ammonia or soda, and wash- 
ing the precipitate. Both arsenic and peroxide of iron can then be removed 
by the stomach pump or an emetic. 



EMERGENCIES-HOW TO MEET THEM. 

Loss of Blood a Real Loss. — Many deaths from wounds might be pre- 
vented if the means were immediately at hand for stopping the flow of 
blood. In any case the loss of blood is a disaster from which it takes a long 
time to recover. The means to be taken to save life must be adopted in- 
stantly, before a surgeon can be called, and therefore ought to be very com- 
nionly understood. 

Bleeding from Veins. — 1. Ordinary bleeding from small cuts or injuries 
may be stopped by cold water, or ice, or pressure, until a clot has had time (o 
form. The wisdom of our Maker has made this wonderful provision, that as 
soon as blood ceases to circulate in its proper channels, or comes in contact 
with the air, it will coagulate. By this means a plug is formed at the mouth 
of an open vessel to stop the flow of blood. Cold water and various styptics, 
like sulphate of iron, tannin, alum, and matic^o, hasten this I'esult. 

2. It is said that bleeding from a wound, on man or beast, may be itopped 



282 Home and Health. 

\)y a mi sture of wlieat flour and common salt, in equal parts, bound on with 
a cloth If tin; bleeding l)e profuse, use a large quantity, say from one to 
three pints. It may be left on for hours, or even days, if necessary. 

Bleeding from Arteries. — Blood may often be seen to flow from one 
Somali point of the wound. This indicates the opening of a small artery. 
S iglit pressure with one finger, or the ball of the thumb over the spot, will 
stop it as long as the pressure is kept up, and often altogether, even after 
ihe pressure is removed. 

2. Bleeding from a larger artery is indicated at once, by coming in jets at 
each beat of the heart, and being of a bright scarlet color instead of purple. 
If the wound be of such a character that the end of the artery can be seen, 
it can be readily taken up with a hook, or sharp-pointed fork, by any one who 
keeps his wits about him in spite of the sudden alarm, and tied with a strong 
thread. Otherwise, tie the limb between the wound and the heart, the sim- 
plest device being to bind the handkerchief around, and running a stick be- 
neath the knot, twisting it up until the requisite pressure be attained to stop 
the bleeding. 

Bleeding from the Teeth. — The following is an excellent remedy for 
hemorrhage arising from the extraction of teeth : Cut a piece of clean dry 
sponge inttj cone shape. This should be compressed tightly and introduced 
into the cavity left by the tooth. As soon as the sponge -is dampened it be- 
gins to swell, and thus will, in most cases, effectually close the cavity, and 
prevent bleeding. 

N. B. — For remedy for bleeding from the nose, see page 146. 

Rupture of a Large Blood-vessel. — In case a large artery or vein is 
cut, especially in a limb, make a knot in a handkerchief, and tie it loosely 
about the limb, placing the knot on the wound. Then with a stick twist the 
handkerchief until the flow of blood ceases. A pad can be used instead of a 
knot. If the artery is ruptured, apply the pressure between the wound and 
the heart. If a vein, beyond the wound. 

Fracture of the Skull. — Send for the phj'sician. If there be a collapse, 
hot bottles and blankets should be applied to the extremities, and the circula- 
tion stimulated by friction with the hands. Diluted injections may be given. 
These efforts must cease when reaction is secured. 

[ Partial Fainting, and its Relief. — In mild cases of fainting, where 
' partial consciousness remains, stimulating substances, as vapor of ammonia or 
cologne-water, may be inhaled, and cold water sprinkled in the face, and fresh 
air introduced into the apartment. 

Apparent Insensibility. — No violent measures should be used to arouse 
a patient who may, or may not, be insensible. Lay him in bed, loosen his 
clothes, and let him have a free access of air, notice whether the breathing 



Emergencies — Eov:) to Meet Them. 288 

w quiet or noisy, regular or irregular, whether there are any couvulsive ruove- 
menls of the limbs, whether the urine or feces are passed invohmtarvly, 
whether the pupils of both eyes are alike, or larger or smaller than usual, or 
w hether the patient will bear to have his eyes touched, and whether he can 
be aroused at all. In all cases of apparent insensibility, the attendant should 
be careful to say nothing to the patient within his hearing, for while he can 
neither speak nor move, he may yet be perfectly conscious of all that is pass- 
ing around him, and the effort to speak may do him great injury. 

Complete Unconsciousness and its Remedy. — Place the patient im- 
mediately in a recumbent position, with the head lower than tlie shoulders. Re- 
move all superfluous clothing from the chest and throat. Neck-ties, collars, 
etc., hinder recovery. Moisten the nostrils with ammonia. Throw cold water 
into the face, and strike the palms of the hands, and rub them rapidly. Dip 
a plate in hot water and place it over the stomach and breast-bone. Should 
all these means fail, try galvanism, placing one pole of the battery at the up- 
per part of the spinal column, and move the other up and down, over the 
back-bone and the breast-bone. 

Dislocation, and its Treatment. — This is the displacement of two or 
more bones where articular surfaces have lost wholly, or in part, their natural 
connection, either owing to external violence, or to disease of some of the 
parts about the joint. Dislocation is complete when the bones have entirely 
lost their connection ; incomplete, when they partly preserve it ; and compound, 
when a wound communicates with the dislocated joint. The first thing to be 
done is to reduce the protruded bone to its original place, then to retain it in 
that position by means of splints, ligatured as tightly as the circulation will 
allow. The circulation must, by no means, be impeded, otherwise mortifica- 
tion will ensue. 

Sprains, and How to Cure Them. — A spi aiu is often more painful and 
dangerous than a dislocation. It requires immediate attention. The injured 
part should be wrapped in flannels wrung out of hot water, and covered with 
a dry bandage, or, what is better, oiled silk. The limb should not be allowed 
to hang down, but kept in a quiet, easy position, until after all pain lias 
ceased. 

Fracture of the CoUar-Bone. — If the collar-bo7ie is fractured, the 
attendants must keep the patient in bed without a pillow, with the arm on 
the injured side folded across the chest. Keep the part moist with water 
'• until the doctor comes." 

Fracture of the Ribs. — If the ribs are fractured, the patient should re- 
main in bed, have a spittoon within reach, so that the expectorations may be 
duly noted by the physician when he arrives. 



284 Home ai^d Health. 

Dislocations.— The limbs must be extended by force, until the contrac- 
tion of the muscles is overcome, when the bone may be readily pushed into 
its proper place. In case of dislocation of the jaw, the operator must thrust 
both thumbs (covered by linen cloths) as far as possible into the mouth, while 
the fingers press externally the jaw ; then press downward and backward until 
the back end of the jawbone is restored to its place. 

Clothing on Fire — Presence of Mind Needed. — Many persons lose 
their lives by want of presence of mind when a small portion of their clothes 
catches fire ; and many lives are lost by others in the room also losing their 
presence of mind. The first impulse of fear is to ring the bell, rush madly 
about the room, or into passages full of draughts, so that the fire is fanned, 
and in a few minutes the unfortunate sufferer is hopelessly burned. 

Clothing on Fire — What to Do. — The first thing to do is to snatch up 
a hearth-rug or table-cloth, or any woolen thing that may be nearest, and roll 
it tightly round the person. This will exclude the air, and extinguish the 
flame. If water is within reach, it should be sluiced over the burning parts. 
Do not go in search of it — a moment's delay is fatal. If a person is alone in 
a room, and there is nothing better to be had, the best plan is to roll over and 
over on the carpet till the fire is extinguished. 

To Prevent Clothing from Taking Fire. — There is a very simple 
process by which muslins, used for ladies' and children's dresses, can be pre- 
vented from getting on fire. Dissolve a small piece of alum in the water in 
which muslins are rinsed. When dry, if a light be put to them, they will 
smoulder slowly away, but not break out into a blaze. And this, so far from 
being injurious to muslin, improves its appearance greatly. 

Cures for Lock-jaw. — Take a small quantity of turpentine, warm it, 
and pour it on the wound, no matter where it is, or of what nature it is, and 
relief will follow in less than one minute. Lobelia has been successfully 
used in several cases of lock-jaw. 

Relief from Choking. — 1. To relieve choking, break an egg into a cup and 
give it to the patient to swallow. The white of the egg seems to catch 
around the obstacle and remove it. If one egg does not answer the purpose 
try another. The white is all that is necessary.* • 

2. Often a smart blow between the shoulders, causing a compression of 
the chest and a sudden expulsion of air from the lungs will throw out the 
substance. 

♦ Eggs in Case of Trouble. — The white of an egg is said to be a specific for fish- 
bones sticking in the throat. It is to be swallowed raw, and will carry down a bone easily 
and certainly. There is another fact touching eggs which it will be well to remember. 
When, as sometimes by accident, corrosive sublimate is swallowed, the white of one or two 
eggs taken will neutralize the poiscjn, and change the effect to that of a dose of calomel. 



Emergencies — How to Meet Them. 285 

8. If the person can swallow, give plenty jai bread and potatoes, and water 
to wash it down. 

4. Press upon the tongue with a spoon when perhaps the substance may 
be seen and drawn out with a pair of dull scissors. 

5. If these fail, give an emetic of ipecac, or mustard and water. 

Frost-Bites — Instant Remedy. — Frost-bites are frequently so sudden 
that one is not aware when they occur. In Canada, it is not uncommon foi 
persons meeting in the street to say, " Mind, sir, your nose looks whitish." 
The blood cools and runs slowly, and the blood-vessels become choked and 
swollen. Keep from the heat. Rub the part quickly with snow, if necessary 
for hours, till the natural color is restored. If one is benumbed with cold, 
take him into a cold room, remove the wet clothes, rub the body, dry, cover 
with blankets, and give a little warm drink. On recovering, let him be 
brought to a fire gradually.* 

General Treatment for Burns and Scalds. — In both large and small 
burns, protect carefully from the air. Cover the wound immediately with 
cotton-batting, or dredge it with flour. A piece of oil silk will do good ser- 
vice. Wrap a dry bandage upon the outside. Remove the patient to a bed 
warmly-covered. Do not remove the bandage until it becomes stiff and irri- 
tating ; then remove gradually, and redress and cover quickly. Do not ex- 
pose any wound to the dust and infinitesimal living germs of the air. Put 
no salve on a hum. 

1 . A solution of bi-carbonate of sodium applied to burns promptly and per- 
manently relieves pain. 

2. Cotton-batting saturated with a solution of carbolic acid is very good in 
cases of severe burning. It is also good in cases of gunpowder burns, as it 
prevents discoloration of the skin. 

3. It is said of oakum as a dressing for burns, that it induces the healing 
of extensive sores with remarkable rapidity ; it induces healing action in those 
indolent ulcers that are the result of defective hygienic conditions ; it pre- 
vents all smell ; it is cheap, saves time and trouble ; and most important of 
all, the resulting scars do not contract. 

4. In cases of scalding or burning the body, immersing the part in cold 
water gives entire relief, as instantaneously as the lightning. Meanwhile, get 
some common dry flour, and apply it an mch or two thick on the injured part 
the moment it emerges from the water, and keep sprinkling on the flour 

♦ Stbele. — If you are caught in a snow-storm, look for a snow-bank in the lee of a hill, 
or a wood out of the wind, or a hollow in the plain filled with snow. Scrape out a hole 
big enough to creep into, and the drifting snow will keep you warm. Men and animals 
have been preserved after days of such imprisonment. Kemember that if you give way to 
Bleep in the open field, you will never awake. 



286 Home and Health. 

through any thing like a pepper-box cover, so as to put it on evenly. Do 
nothing else, drink nothing but water, eat nothing, until iruprovement com- 
mences, except some dry bread softened in very weak tea of some kind. 
Cures of frightful burnings have been performed in this way, as wonderful 
as they are painless. 

5. A varnisher of metals, in Paris, one day got his hand badly burned, and 
in his agony thrust it into a pot of varnish at his side. To his astonishment 
the pain at once ceased, and the wound rapidly healed. This cure being re- 
ported around, peisons in the neighborhood who had got burned, came to the 
varnisher and were cured in like manner. The news circulated far and wide, 
and finally reached the medical faculty, and the varnisher was sent for to try 
his skill in the hospital. He responded to the call and succeeded in curing all 
on whom he operated. The philosophy of the cure is, the vai'nish keeps the 
burn from the air, and gives nature a chance to supply a new skin under its 
protection. 

6. The white of an egg has proved of late the most efficacious remedy foi 
burns. Seven or eight successive applications of this substance soothe the 
pain and effectually exclude the burn from the air. This simple remedy seems 
preferable to collodion or even cotton. Extraordinary stories are told of the 
healing properties of a new oil which is easily made from the yelks of hens' 
eggs. The eggs are first boiled hard, the yelks are then removed, crushed, 
and placed over a fire, where they are carefully stirred until the whole sub- 
stance is just on the point of catching fire, when the oil separates and may 
be poured off. It is in general use among the colonists of Southern Russia 
as a means of curing cuts, bruises, and scratches. 

7. A bath in oil is one of the best remedies for serious burns. A German 
ballet-girl, whose dress had caught fire, and who had been horribly burned in 
consequence, was put info a bath full of oil by the chief physician of the 
Leipsic Hospital. She was suffering excruciating agonies, but the oil caused 
her pains to cease almost immediately. She remained in the bath nine days 
and nights, the oil being renewed five times during that period, and her burns 
were then so far healed that she could be taken out without pain or danger. 
Three weeks after she had completely recovered. This is an admirable form 
of cure, because it suppresses the intolei'able tortures which do more to kill 
the victims by fire than the actual gravity of the wounds. Unfortunately, like 
most f^ood things in life, it is a remedy Ijeyond the reach of small purses. 

Cut-Wounds — How to Heal Quickly. — Protect the wounded parts 
from the air and dust instantly if possible. Press the parts together and 
keep them so by adhesive plaster or bandage, and give them instant and per- 
manent rest till healed, which in most cases will be rapidly accomplished. 
It is the inherent property of all wounds (on surface or deep) to heal by 
"first intention." 



Emergencies — How to Meet Them. 287 

How to Relieve Pain from Wounds. — A correspondent of the Countrji 
Gentleman gives the following remedy for painful wounds : " Take a pan or 
shovel with burning coals, and sprinkle upon them connnon brown sugar 
and hold the wounded part in the smoke. In a few minutes the pain will be 
allayed, and recovery proceed rapidly. 

Pain from Nail in the Foot — Instant Remedy.* — The same writer says : 
" 1)1 my own case a rusty nail had made a bad wound in the bottom of iws 
foot. The pain and nervous irritation was severe. This w-as all removed by 
holding it in the sugar-smoke for fifteen minutes, and I was able to resume 
my reading in comfort. We have often recommended it to others with like 
results. Last week one of my men had a fiuger-nail torn out by a pair of 
ice-tongs. It became very painful, as was to be expected. Held in sugar- 
smoke for twenty minutes, the pain ceased, and it promises speedy recovery." 

Sunstroke — Its History. — The earliest case on record is the one men- 
tioned in the Bible. 

" Manassas was her husband, who died in the early harvest : for as he 
stood among them and bound sheaves in the field, the heat came upon his 
head, and he fell on his bed, and died in the city of Bethulia." The sec- 
ond instance relates to the son of the Shunamite woman, who was restored 
to life by the prophet Elisha : " And when the child was grown, it fell on a 
day that he went out with his father to the reapers. And he said unto his 
father, '■My head^ my head.'' And when he had taken him and brought him 
to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died." 

Sunstroke Does not FoUovr Short Exposure. — It does not depend 
upon a short exposure to the direct rays of the sun ; the exposure must have 
been continued for a day or two. Nor does sunstroke necessarily arise from 
solar heat. Prolonged confinement in the heated atmosphere of a building 
may likewise produce it. 

Most Dangerous Time for Sunstroke. — About the third or fourth day 
from the commencement of a heated term, sunstrokes usually appear. The 
sufferers in most cases are exposed to the heat for some days preceding the 
attack. In the summer of 1866, the majority of simstroke cases — generally 
laboring-men — were brought to Belle vue Hospital in the morning or early in 
the day. 

Premonitory Symptoms of Sunstroke. — The symptoms of sunstroke 



* Here is another, which comes strongly endorsed : " To relieve from the terrible effects 
of running a nail in the foot of man or horse take [leach-leaves, bruise tbem, apply to the 
wound, and confine with a bandage. Thoy cure as if by magic in most cases. Renew th< 
Bi)plication twice a day, if necessary, but one applic.itioii usually does the work. It lia^ 
cured both man and horse in a few hours, when they were apparently on the point of liaving 
the lock-jaw. This recipe, remembered .and practiced, will save wauy valuaMe lives." 



288 Home aio) Health. 

are usually headache, vertigo, dimness of vision, nausea, often developing 
into coma, or %ven delirium or convulsions, ending in many cases in insanity, 
softening of the brain, or death. 

Hints for the Prevention of Sunstroke. — For the prevention of sun- 
stroke^ the following are hints, especially when there is tendency to a hot 
brain : 

Wear a light-colored, well- ventilated hat. 

Avoid meats and other heating foods. Eat plenty of fruit. 

Wet the hair on the temples and top of the head often, but not behind. 

If the hot brain pressure is felt coming on, dash cold water on the face 
and temples, or in the absence of that, clasp and squeeze both temples with 
fhe fingers to crowd the blood back, and rub the back of the neck powerfully 
to draw the blood from the brain. 

Where special danger is apprehended, wear a cool, wet bandage around the 
forehead and head. 

Treatment of Sunstroke. — The patient should be removed at once to a 
cool room, and placed in a recumbent position near an open window. The 
clothes are then stripped off, and a stream of water poured over the body. 
The vessel containing the liquid is to be held four or five feet above the pa- 
tient, in order that he may receive the benefit of the shock. The stream of 
water should at first be directed on the head, then on the chest and ab- 
domen, and finally on the extremities, and thus alternating from one part to 
another, until consciousness returns. Ice rubbed over the body is liked by 
some ; the cold douche is, however, preferable. 

Internal medication is useful in all cases. Among the numerous drugs em- 
ployed, bromide of potassium has been found most efficient. The best resulta 
were obtained from its use in Bellevue Hospital, in the years 1866 and 1868. 
This drug may be administered in all stages of the affection. When the pa- 
tient is unable to swallow, it can be given by injection, always remembering 
to increase the dose one quarter more than when given by mouth. In mild 
cases, from five.to ten grains may be given, at intervals of from half an hour 
to one hour," until the grave symptoms disappear. In several forms from ten 
to thirty grains may be administered every half hour; when the pulse be- 
comes weak or intermittent, stimulants are needed. Stimulation should be 
resorted to in all cases where exhaustion is the prominent feature. Brandy 
and milk, or brandy with ammonia, must be introduced into the stomach or 
rectum. The cold douche must be sparingly employed in this latter class of 
cases. If the skin is cold, it will do no good whatever. 

Treatment of Sunstroke after Recovery. — After consciousness has 
returned, mustard plasters or bhsters are to be applied to the back of the 
neck. The bromide need not be discontinued for one or two weeks. As soon 



Emergencies — How to Meet Them. 289 

dS convenient, the patient should be sent to a cool district in the country, and 
kept free from excitement. The brain nuist rest from all work. Exercise in 
the open air and nourishing diet are essential ; regular habits must be rigi lly 
enforced. A continuance of this treatment for several months prevents, or 
at least lessens, the danger from nervous affections which follow sunstroke. 

Lightning Stroke : Preliminary Dangers : Important Hints. — Aftei 
a thorough examination, an able medical professor states that "when persons 
happen to be overtaken by a thunder-storm, although they may not be terrified 
by lightning, yet they naturally wish for shelter from the rain which usually 
attends it ; and, therefore, if no house be at hand, generally take refuge under 
the nearest tree they can find. But in doing this they unknowingly expose 
themselves to a double danger ; first, because their clothes being thus kept 
dry, their bodies are rendered more liable to injury, the lightning often pass- 
ing harmlessly over a body whose surface is wet ; and, secondly, because a 
tree or any elevated object, instead of warding off, serves to attract and con- 
duct the lightning, which in its passage frequently rends its trunks or branches, 
and kills any person or animal who happens to be close to it at the time. In- 
stead of hay-rick, pillar, wall, or hedge, the person should either pursue his 
way to the nearest house, or get to a part of the road or field which has no 
object that can draw lightning toward it, and remain there until the storm 
has subsided. 

" It is particularly dangerous to stand near leaden spouts or iron gates at 
such times ; metals of all kinds have so strong a conducting power for light- 
ning as frequently to lead it out of the course it would otherwise have taken. 

" "When in the house avoid standing near a window, door, or walls during a 
thunder-gust. The nearer you are placed to the middle of a room the better. 

" When a person is struck by lightning, strip the body and throw buckets 
full of cold water over it for ten or fifteen minutes ; let continued frictions 
and inflations of the lungs be also practiced ; let gentle shocks of electricity 
be made to pass through the chest, when a skillful person can be procured to 
administer them ; and apply blisters to the chest." 

Apoplexy: Nature and Cause. * — Apoplexy is caused by an unnatural 
amount of blood in the brain. Whatever sends too much to the brain may 
cause apoplexy. Whatever keeps the blood from coming from the brain dams 
it up, and may cause apoplexy. This is the kind of apoplexy which seems 

• From the suddenness of the attack and the apparent causelessness of it, the Greeks 
connected it in their minds with the idea of a stroke of lightning as coming from the Al- 
mighty hand ; it literally means "a stroke from above." As instantaneous as the hurling of 
a thunderbolt in a clear sky, there comes a loss of sense, and feeling, and thought, and mo- 
tion ; the heart beats, the hmgs play, but that is all— they soon cease forever. The Eoman? 
considered the person to be " thunderstruck " or planet-strack, as if it were of unearthl> 
ongin. — J. W. Howe. 
19 



290 Home ai^d Health. 

to come without any apparent adequate cause. Tying a cord around the neck, 
or holding the head downward too long, can bring on an attack of apoplexy, 
by damming up the blood in the brain, and keeping it from returningc to thn 
body. A sudden mental emotion can send too much blood to the brain, or 
too great mental excitement does the same thing. 

Immediate Treatment of Apoplexy. — When a man is asleep his pulse 
beats and his lungs play ; he is without sense, and can be easily awakened. 

If a person faints, he too is without sense, but he has no pulse, and does 
not breathe. Apoplexy is between the two ; the heart beats, the lungs play 
as in sleep, and there is no sense as in fainting, but you can't shake the man 
back to life. 

In sleep the face is natural. 

In a fainting fit it has the pallor of death. 

In apoplexy it is swollen, turbid, and fairly livid. 

If a man is asleep, let him alone ; nature will wake him up as soon as he 
has got sleep enough. 

When a person faints, all that is necessary is to lay him down on the 
floor, and he will " come to." 

In apoplexy set a man up* Then give him rest. Keep the head raised, 
and put cool cloths upon it. Put mustard plasters on the calves of the legs. 
These may draw the blood from the head. In difficult cases, strong purga- 
tives should be given, and sometimes these should be accompanied by electric 
or galvanic action. After recovery the extent of the liability of another at- 
tack cannot be estunated. In a majority of cases, among persons of prudent, 
careful life, there is no relapse. 

How to Treat Delirious Patients. — Avoid any roughness in dealing with 
8uch cases, but be firm, and do not permit them to know you are afraid of 
them or inclined to let them have their own way. Do not attempt to argue 
with them or contradict any of their assertions, but at the same time it is well 
to appear interested in their conversation. See that all escape is prevented 
See that there are no knives or dangerous weapons within reach. Immediate 
aid should be within call. 

Convulsions, and How to Stop Them. — Some children are liable to 
convulsions from derangement of the digestive organs. They sometimes oc- 
cur when a child is teething. The attack is (yften preceded by involuntary 

* In apoplexy, as there is too much blood in the head, every one can see that the position 
Is to set a man up, and the blood naturally tends downward — as much so as water will como 
out of a bottle when it is turned upside down, if the cork is out. 

If, then, a man is merely asleep, let him alone, for the face is natural. 

If a man has fainted, lay him flat on his back, fur his face is Jeadly pale. 

If a man is apoplectic, set him in a chair, because the face is swollen and livid witb ita ex 
cess of blood. 



n 



Emergencies — How to Meet Them. 



291 



movements of the mouth or eyelids ; then the eyes become JBxed and the body 
rigid, the bre;ithing is irregular, often suspended for a few moments, and the 
face and surface of the body becomes dark red or livid. This is followed by 
twitching or jerking of the limbs, and often the arms and the legs, and 
the muscles of the face. The attendant should at once prepare a warm bath, 
and the child be immersed in the water up to the head, which should have 
cold water applied to it. It should be kept in the bath until the convulsions 
ceasr, keeping up the temperature to about 98°. After the bath, wrap the 
child in a warm blanket. 



EMERGENCIES-DROWNING. 

What to Do in Case of Drowning.* — When a drowned person is taken 
from the water he must be treated on the spot, in the open air. On no ac- 
count waste precious time by removing him to a house, unless the weather 
is intensely cold. Secure a return of breathing first — protecting him from 
the severe cold by coats, blankets, etc., if necessary — and then take him 
into a house Keep bystanders off twelve or fifteen feet, while three (or, at 
most, four) stout persons manage the patient. Loosen all tight clothing. 

To Restore Breathing. — Place the patient upon his face^ with his chest 




Fig. 1. 



resting on a good cushion, (as a coat folded,) and one arm brought under his 
forehead, (see Fig. 1.) In this position the fluid will escape from the mouth, 



♦Reprinted from The PJnjxio- Med teal Recorder^ Cincinnati, by the courtesy of whose 
editor and publisher, Wm. H. Cook, M.D., the article, with its illustrations, is here inserted. 



292 



Home and Health. 



throat, and mostly from the lungs. The tongue itself will also fall forward, 
md thus leave the entrance to the windpipe free. The mouth may be wiped 
^ut quickly with a fold of the handkerchief over one's forefinger. Press 
gently between the shoulder-blades and on the sides. On no account lift the 
patient to his feet, or even to a sitting posture, even for a moment, as such 
a position causes the water to sink to the bottom of the lungs, and might 
utterly strangle a patient who was gasping for breath. 

Possibly the patient may struggle into breathing so soon as the water 
escapes from his mouth. If so, manage him as hereafter described for this 
stage of recovery. If he should not now recover, do not keep him on his 
face more than one-fonrth of a minute at the furthest ; but remove the 
hands from making pressure on the sides and back, and turn him fully upon 
one side, no matter whether right or left, as in Fig. 2. Support the head 




Fie. 9. 

while doing this, and Silso hold up the arm that was previously under the 
forehead. Some smelling-salts or snuff may be placed to the nose in the 
hope of exciting a breathing effort, but not too abundantly ; or a feather 
may be used to tickle the throat. Be careful not to roll the patient so far 
upon his back as to have the tongue fall back upon the windpipe ; and if it 
is observed thus to fall, pull it forward quickly. 

The position upon the side must not be maintained longer than a few sec- 
onds. If the patient then show no signs of returning life, he must be rolled 
up(m the face, precisely as in the position first named — making pressure 
between the shoulder-blades and upon the sides of the chest, as before. This 
position upon the face causes (or imitates) the natural action of lungs and 
chest in the expiration of breath ; while the position upon the side imitate? 



2 



Emergencies — Drowning. 



293 



the inspiration of breath. These two movements may now be repeated reg- 
ularly, as a close resemblance to the natural act of breathing. They should 
be made at the rate of not more than fifteen times in a minute, or once in 
four seconds. There is much liability that they will be made oftener ; but 
this must be carefully guarded against. The turning upon the side had bet- 
ter be alternated from right to left. At the moment of turning from the face 
to the side, all pressure must be removed from the trunk ; and it will be well 
also to lift upward the free arm, so that its weight shall not drag across the 
chest and compress the lungs. If the tongue should be disposed to fall back- 
ward, it had better be drawn pretty well forward by passing a cord behind 
Its thick part and out of the corners of the mouth — then tying the cord under 
the chin. Smelling salts may be applied occasionally, but not too often nor 
too freely. 




Fio. 8, 



While caiiying on the above operations, dry the hands and feet gently 
without much rubbing, and gently put on dry clothing ; and be sure not to 
let the act of changing the clothes interfere in the least with either the 
regularity or the completeness of the above movements. These movements 
often suffice to restore signs of life in a few minutes. If no such signs are 
apparent after eight or ten minutes of such efforts, the position may be 
changed, and different movements made as follows : — 

The water being thoroughly worked out of the lungs by the above move- 
ments, place the patient upon his back upon a board or other flat surface. 
Let this incline upward a little from the feet to the head. Support the head 
and shoulders on a small but firm cushion, extending down to the lower edge 
of the shoulder-blades, such as a folded coat. Draw the patient's tongue 
Ptrongly forward, even beyond the lips, and keep it thus by a tape or strhig, 



291 



Home and Health. 



as before named. Now take a position at the patient's head, grasp hia arma 
just above the elbows, and draw them gently (but steadily and firmly) upward, 
as in Fig. 3. Keep them well stretched in this position for two seconds. 
This movement elevates the whole ribs, enlarges the capacity of the chest, 
and puts the parts in a position favorable for the ingress of air. Next bend 
the patient's elbows, turn the arms downward, and press them gently but 
firmly against the sides of the chest, as in Fig. 4. Keep them in this posi- 
tion for two seconds, during which time the air will be pressed out of the 
lungs. The first or upward position of the arms is now to be resumed ; and 
these movements are thus to be continued perseveringly at the rate of not more 
ihamjifteen times to the minute. This latter plan is called the Sylvester plan. 
These movements must be continued without any remission whatever ; nor 
«*hould such efforts cease because signs of life do not return soon. It is not 




Fis 4 



uncommon for such efforts to prove successful at the end of two hours ; and 
several cases are on record in which no symptoms of returning life were seen 
until the fourth, and even the fifth, hour of unremitting labor, and then the 
attendants were rewarded by the recovery of the patient. 

To Restore Circulation. — The above measures are directed wholly to re 
storing the breath. This is the first necessity. There should be no rubbing 
of the surface, except gently, to dry it, while this is going on. Should the 
inclemency of the weather demand the removal of the patient in-doors, the 
above movements must be kept up, even while he is being removed ; and on 
no account should he be taken into a warm or crowded room. 

When the patient begins to breathe, commence rubbing the limbs. Rub 
them upioard with considerable briskness and pressure. Use flannels some 



Einergencies — Drowning. 295 

A^hat warmed ; throw a quilt or blanket over the patient, and continue fric- 
tion under this. Put two or three layers of warm flannel on the stomach ; 
and warm bricks, or bottles of warm water, may be put at the feet, between 
the thighs, and under the arm-pits; but be very careful not to have these 
things too warm, or much above the temperature of the healthy body. As . 
they get cool, replace them with others of the right warmth. As conscious- 
ness returns, give him a spoonful of weak ginger-tea every five minutes, and, 
as he gets stronger, use the tea stronger and in larger quantities, or give a 
tea of composition instead of ginger. Brandy, and other alcoholic drinks 
are the worst stimulants that could be given. Black pepper, red pepper, or 
allspice, are far better. When the pulse has been restored, encourage a dispo- 
sition to sleep. 

Recovery Twelve Hours after Drowning. — A correspondent of the 
Christian Advocate sends us an account of the drowning at Osceola Mills, 
some five years ago, of two little boys, Willie and Charlie, aged four and six 
years. They were on the bank of the Big Moshanon Creek, fishing, and both 
fell in. They were seen by the father, near by, who hastened to their relief, 
but were not recovered until life was apparently extinct. Charlie was under 
water eight or ten minutes. The correspondent adds : — 

The children were carried home by the parents, a physician sent for to 
Philipsburgh, a distance of five miles. In the meantime a fire was made in 
the cook-stove, a lounge placed behind it, and Charlie placed thereon, rolled 
up in warm blankets, and thoroughly rubbed with brandy ; brandy was also 
forced down his throat. The physician came, but could do nothing more than 
had been done. The neighbors came and went until midnight, leaving Charlie 
for dead. Though all others gave up the hope of restoring Charlie, the 
mother continued to rub him, and keep him warm until three o'clock the next 
morning, when he opened his eyes, and, looking his mother in the face, ex- 
claimed, " Mamma, what am I doing here ? " The accident happened about 
three o'clock the previous afternoon, making twelve hours from the time he 
was drowned until he showed life, or spoke. 

How to Bring a Drowning Person to Shore. — The proper method 
of bringing a drowning man to shore, is to approach him from behind. Seize 
him with your left hand by the hair, coat-collar, or shoulder. Turn him upon 
his back, and then place his head upon your chest, and, with your right arm 
free, swim upon your back to the land. (If by the left hand alone it be too 
difficult to turn him upon his back, apply, in addition, the right hand to his 
right shoulder, and the turning will be easily accomplished.) If he be con- 
scious, encourage him, and direct him to straighten out his legs. * 

♦ If the drowning man be out of sight under the water, watch carefully for the rising ol 
a bubble upon the surface; he will usually be found directly below it. 



^96 



Home and Health. 




Poultices and Their Ajypkcation. 297 

POULTICES AND THEIR APPLICATION. 

G-eneral Purpose of a Poultice. — The use of poultices. is to promote 
warmth and moisture ; hence those which keep warm and moist the longe-^ 
are the best. They are employed in the treatment of abscesses, suppurating 
wounds, inflammation, and pain. In making them the attendant should have 
iiem smooth, light, and as hot as they can be made without burning in their 
application. 

1. Bread Poultice. Cold, light wheat bread, soaked in sweet milk, makes 
good ones. 

2. Beet Poultice. A beet fresh from the garden, and pounded fine, makes 
an excellent poultice. 

3. lAnseed-meal Poultice. In preparing this, the basin should be scalded 
in which it is made. Pour in boiling water, according to the size of the poul- 
tice required. Add gradually sufficient linseed-meal to form a thick paste, 
stirring it one way until it is of the proper consistency and smoothness ; then 
spread it on linen or muslin, and apply it. 

4. Charcoal Poultice. Take two ounces of bread in crumbs, soak for ten 
minutes in boiling water — say ten ounces ; then mix and add gradually a half 
an ounce of pulverized charcoal and a half an ounce of linseed-meal, well 
stirred together; spread as above, and apply. 

5. Chlorinated Soda Poultice is made like linseed-meal poultice ; consisting 
of two parts of linseed-meal poultice, to one of chlorinated soda, mixed with 
boiling water. 

6. Yeast Poultice is made by mixing a pound of flour or linseed-meal with 
half a pint of yeast ; heat it, and stir it carefully. All poultices are made 
with boiling water, except yeast, and with this the temperature should not 
be over 100°. 

1. Mustard Poidtice. Take a sufficient quantity of powdered mustard to 
make a thin paste of the required size. It should be mixed with boiling 
water, with a small quantity of vinegar added, if a very strong poultice is re- 
quired. Spread it on brown paper or linen, with a piece of thin muslin over 
it. It should be kept on from ten to twenty minutes. If the skin is very 
irritable afterward, a little flour should be sprinkled over it. By mixing the 
mustard with the white of an egg, the poultice will not cause a blister. 

8. Mustard and Linseed Poidtice. These poultices are often mixed with 
linseed-meal when a milder form is required than of mustard alone. After 
the use of any kind of mustard poultice, the skin should be carefully wiped 
with something very soft, so that no mustard be left behind. One of the best 
mustard poultices is the paper plaster now sold by every druggist. It is al- 
ways ready, and can be carried by a traveler. It has only to be dippetl in 
vater, and applied at once. 



298 Home and Health. 

BRIEF CURES FOR VARIOUS DISEASES. 

Colds — Seven Important Remedies. — A cold, like measles or mumps, 
or other similar ailments, will run its course of about ten days in spite of what 
may be done for it, unless remedial means are employed within forty-eight 
hours after its inception. Many a useful life will be spared to be increas- 
ingly useful by cutting a cold "short off" before it has taken firm hold on 
the system. The following are safe, simple, and authenticated remedies : — 

1. On the first day of taking a cold there is a very unpleasant sensation 
of chilliness. The moment you observe this, go to your room and stay there ; 
keep it at such a temperature as will entirely prevent this chilly feeling, even 
if it requires a hundred degrees of Fahrenheit. In addition, put your feet in 
hot water, half a leg deep, as hot as you can bear it, adding hot water from 
time to time for a quarter of an hour, so that the water shall be hotter when 
you take your feet out than when you put them in it : then dry them thor- 
oughly, and then put on warm, thick woolen stockings, even if it be summer, 
for summer colds are the most dangerous ; and for twenty-four hours eat not 
an atom of food, but drink as largely as you desire of any kinds of warm 
teas, and at the end of that time, if not sooner, the cold will be effectually 
broken without any medicine whatever. 

2. Dio Lewis's remedy is the use of cold water as follows : " Eat no sup- 
per. On going to bed drink two tumblers of cold water. On rising in the 
morning drink freely of cold water. For breakfast eat a piece of dry bread 
as large as your hand. Go out freely during the morning. For dinner eat 
about the same as you ate at breakfast. During the afternoon take a sharp 
walk, or engage in some active exercise which shall produce a little perspira- 
tion. Go without your supper and retire early, drinking, before you jump 
into bed, as much cold water as you can swallow." 

3. Many colds are from over-eating or eating gross food. Strong persons 
with large lungs who exercise a great deal and breathe much, can dispose of 
a large quantity of food, but the feeble and sedentary must eat moderately, 
or break down early ; for this kind of a cold one preventive is worth a dozen 
cures, namely, cut off the supjilies. 

4. Dr. Paillon, of France, announces what he considers to be a new method 
oi curing a cold in the head. It consists in inhaling through the nose the 
emanations of ammonia contained in a smelling-bottle. If the sense of smell 
is completely obliterated, the bottle should be kept under the nose until the 
pungency of the volatile alkali is felt. The bottle is then removed, but only 
to be reapplied after a minute ; the second application, however, should not 
be long, that the patient may bear it. Tliis easy operation being repeated 
seven or eight times in the course of five minutes, but always very rapidly, 
except the first time, the nostrils bocouic free, the sense of smell is restored. 



Bi'ief Cures fon' Various Diseases. 209 

and the secretion of the irritating mucus is stopped. This remedy is said to 
be peculiarly advantageous to singers. 

5. JPorax has proved a most effective remedy in certain forms of colds. 
In sudden hoarseness or loss of voice in public speakers or singers, from colds, 
relief for an hour or so, as by magic, may be often obtained by slowly dis- 
solving and partially swallowing a lump of borax the size of a garden pea, or 
about three or four grains, held in the mouth for ten minutes before speaking 
or singing. This produces a profuse secretion of saliva, or " watering " of 
the mouth and throat, probably restoring the voice or tone to the dried vocal 
cords, just as " wetting " brings back the missing notes to a flute when it is 
too dry. 

6. The following is an excellent and safe remedy for children : Take onions, 
slice thin, and sprinkle loaf-sugar over them ; put in the oven, and simmer 
until the juice is thoroughly mixed with the sugar. It makes a thick syrup, 
very nice. Give a teaspoouful as seems to be needed, four or five times a 
day. 

7. Dr. George M. Beard, (Allopathist,) a well-known medical lecturer and 
writer, strongly recommends the following formula or prescription, suggested 
originally by one of his patients, and since often given by Dr. B. Take of 
camphor, two parts ; powdered opium, one part ; carbonate of ammonia, two 
parts. Dissolve the camphor to the thickness of cream, and then add the 
opium and ammonia. Let it be prepared by the druggist. Keep the bottle 
tightly corked, and take a dose just before retiring at night. Dose, from 
three to six grains in a little water. The druggist who puts up the powder 
will show the buyer the quantity to be taken. It should be kept on hand at 
all times, and should be first taken immediately after being chilled through, 
and should be repeated the following night. 

How to Relieve Severe Coughs — Seven Qood Recipes. — 1. The 
paroxysm of coughing may often be prevented or cured by using a little dry 
salt as a gargle. Let those who doubt try it. It will relieve the tickling in 
the throat. 

2. Equal parts of hoarhound, elecampane root, comf rey root, spikenard, 
and wild-cherry bark. Boil in one gallon soft water down to one quart ; 
strain, and add one pound of honey. Take a tablespoonful three times a 
day, or when the cough is troublesome. 

3. Roast a lemon very carefully without burning it ; when it is thoroughly 
liot, cut and sciuceze it into a cup upon three ounces of sugar, finely pow- 
dered. Take a spoonful whenever your cough trouljles you. It is good and 
agreeable to the taste. Rarely has it been known to fail of giving relief. 

4. Take one quart thick flaxseed tea, one pint of honey, half pint of vin- 
egar, two spoonfuls saltpeter. Boil all together in a new earthen pot that is well 
glazed, until it becomes a pretty thick syrup ; keep stirring while boiling with 



300 Home and Health. 

a pine Btitk; if fresh from a greet tree the better. Dose, one tablespoon- 
ful three or four times a day. 

6. A medical writer says : " We are often troubled with severe coughs, the 
result of colds of long standing, which may turn to consumption or prema- 
ture death. The remedy I propose has been often tried by me, with good re- 
sults, which is simply to take into the stomach before retiring for the night « 
piece of raw onion, after chewing. This esculent in an uncooked state is 
very heating, and tends to collect the waters from the lungs and throat, 
Pausing immediate relief to the patient." 

6. Common sweet cider, boiled down to one half, makes a most excellent 
syrup for coughs and colds for children — is pleasant to the taste, and will 
keep for a year in a cool cellar. In recovering from an illness, the system 
has a craving for some pleasant acid drink. This is found in cider which is 
placed on the fire as soon as made, and allowed to come to a boil, then cooled, 
put in casks, and kept in a cool cellar. 

7. Take a handful of hops, put it into three pints of hot water ; let it boil 
one half hour, or xmtil the strength is out. Strain and add one and one half 
cups of best kind of molasses, and one cup of white sugar. Boil down slowly 
in a bright dish or enameled kettle to about one quart. Then bottle up, and 
it is ready for use. Drink a little when you cough. 

Cures for Sore Throat.— 1. Powdered potash held on the tongue and 
allowed to dissolve is very good for sore throat when there are " white 
spots." 

2. For clergymen's sore throat, use fluid extract Callinsonia and simple 
syrup, equal parts. Take a teaspoonful three or four times a day. 

3. Take the whites of two eggs and beat them in with two spoonfuls of 
white sugar; grate in a little nutmeg, and then add a pint of luke-warm 
water. Stir well and drink often. Repeat the prescription, if necessary. A 
practical physician thinks it will cure the most obstinate case of hoarseness 
in a short time. 

4. One of the best of cures is a cold-water compress. Before going to 
bed, wet a cotton-rag in cold water and wring it partially dry. Put it closely 
around the throat, and wrap around it a large piece of flannel to keep the 
moisture in. In the morning, bathe the throat in cold water and rub briskly 
with a coarse towel to prevent catching cold. 

5. Every body has a cure for this trouble, but simple remedies appear tc 
be most effectual. Salt and water is used by many as a gargle, but a little 
alum and honey dissolved in sage-tea is better. Others use a few drops of cam- 
phor on loaf sugar, which very often affords immediate relief. An applica- 
tion of cloths wrung out of hot water and applied to the neck, changed as 
often as it begins to cool, has the most potency in removing inflammation. 



Brief Cures for Various Diseases. 301 

Headache — Five Different Remedies Suggested. — 1. Much sick, 
headache is caused by overloading the stomach — by indigestion. It may 
be relieved by drinking very freely of warm water, whether it produces 
vomiting or not. If the feet are cold, warm them or bathe them in water 
as hot as you can bear it. Soda or ashes in the water will do good. If 
the pain is very severe, apply a cloth wrung out of hot water to the head — 
pack the head as it were. To prevent it, let plainness, simplicity, and tem- 
perance preside at your table. In some cases medicine is necessary ; but if 
the above is properly carried out, almost immediate relief is experienced. 

2. One-fourth of a grain of ipecac, repeated every half hour or hour, has 
iclicved many cases of nervous sick-headache, and if the ipecac is continued 
in one to three-grain doses three or four times daily, a cure will frequently 
result — at least the intervals will be prolonged. 

3. " The people about the Jumna and Tonsee rivers, India," says Mr. Wil- 
son, " have this way of treating a common headache : They lie down by 
the fire, and with the forehead as near to it as bearable. It is a very good 
one, I believe. I have tried it myself with success when my own remedy failed.* 

4. Dr. Warburton Begbie, of Edinburgh, advocates the use of turpentine 
in the severe headache to which nervous and hysterical women are subject. 
" There is, moreover," he says, '* another class of sufferers from headache, 
and this is composed of both sexes, who may be relieved by turpentine. 
I refer to the frontal headache, which is most apt to occur after prolonged 
mental effort, but may likewise be induced by unduly sustained physical 
exertion — what may be styled the headache of a fatigued brain. A cup of 
very strong tea often relieves this form of headache, but this remedy with 
not a few is perilous, for, bringing relief from pain, it may produce general 
restlessness, and, worst of all, banish sleep. Turpentine in doses of 20 to 30 
minims, given at intervals of an hour or two, will entirely remove the 
headache. 

5. A much simpler cure than any of the above, and one more likely to be 
permanently effective, is to stop drinking tea. Try it. See our chapter on 
" Tea and Coffee and Health," p. 103. 

Indigestion and Dyspepsia — Four Remedies. — 1. Many of the Welsh 
peasants live almost wholly upon oatmeal-cakes and buttermilk, and seldom 
suffer from indigestion. The acid {lactic add) in the buttermilk is regarded 
as a promoter of digestion. 

2. Dyspepsia is cured by muscular exercise, voluntary or involuntary, and 
in no other way can it be cured, because nothing can create or collect the 
gastric juice except exercise ; it is a product of the human machine. Na- 
ture only can make it. 

♦ Medical and Surgical Reporter. 



302 Home and Health. 

3. A dyspeptic once read that by sending a dollar to a person in New 
York he would receive a cure for dyspepsia. On sending the money he was 
sent a printed slip with these words : " Stop drinking and hoe in the gar- 
den." The man was angry at first, then laughed, and finally stopped drink- 
ing and "hoed in the garden." The result was in a short time he was as 
well as ever. There is more in this cure than would appear at first sight.* 

4. A Southfrn gentleman says: "For something near two years I had 
suffered with dyspepsia and soreness of the gastric organs. During that 
time I used several different preparations, and advised with every physician 
I rnet, but still could get no permanent relief. Four or five months ago I 
commenced the use of a remedy that has proved very beneficial to me. 
Here it is: Every night before I retire, and every morning just as soon as I 
rise, I give myself a good pounding all over the breast and stomach, breath- 
ing long, full breaths frequently during the operation, and throwing my arms 
in every direction. I followed this course energetically for some time. Now 
I have no symptoms of dyspepsia, and the soreness in my stomach, which 
gave me an untold amount of annoyance, has almost entirely disappeared. 
Of course the pounding must be light and moderate at first. This remedy 
is simple, and can be used by all." 

Biliousness — Its Symptoms and Cvire.— Bad blood, too much blood, 
giving headache, bad taste in the mouth mornings, variable appetite, sick- 
ness at stomach, chilliness, cold feet, and great susceptibility to taking cold ; 
no one person may have all these symptoms when bilious, but one or more is 
always present. 

Sometimes a bilious person has a yellow tinge in the face and eyes called 
" bilious," because the bile, which is yellow, is not withdrawn from the 
blood ; it is the business of the liver to do that, but when it does not do it 
it is said to be lazy, does not work, and the physician begins at once to use 
remedies which are said to " promote the action of the liver." 

It has been discovered within a few years that acids " act on the liver," 
such as nitric acid, elixir vitriol, vinegar ; but these are artificial acids, and 
do not have the uniform good effect of natural acids — those which are found 
in fruit and berries. 

Almost all persons become bilious as the warm weather comes on ; nine 

* A Vert Stjqgestivr Curk. — If any dyspeptic young lady will take five pounds of 
loose-waistedness, four of short skirtedness, three of bodily cleanliness and warmly-clothed- 
ness, and with these take a stomach moderately full of unseasoned fruits and vegetables, 
and unbolted, unfermented bread, two or three times a day, with nothing between excepting 
occasionally a gill, or half a gill, of pure soft water, mixed well with out-of-door exercise, 
pure fresh air, and plenty of sunshine for both S'>ul and body, she will be cured of the dys- 
pepsia, or almost any other ill that flesh is heir to, without " aloes," " alcohol,"' or any other 
poisonous abominations. 



Brief Cures for Various Diseases. 303 

times out of ten nature calls for her own cure, as witness the almost univer- 
Bal avidity for "greens," fo;- " !?pinach," in the early spring, these being 
eaten with vinegar; and soon after, by the benign arrangement of Provi- 
dence, the delicious strawberry comes, the raspberry, the blackberry, the 
whortleberry ; then the cherries and peaches and apples, carrying us clear 
into the fall of the year, when the atmosphere is so pure and bracing that 
there is general good health every-where. 

The most beneficial anti-bilious method of using fruits and berries as 
health promoters is to take them at dessert, after breakfast and dinner; 
to take them in their natural, raw, ripe, fresh state, witliout cream or sugar, 
or any thing else beside the fruit themselves. 

Half a lemon eaten every morning on rising, and on retiring, is often effi- 
cacious in removing a bilious condition of the system, giving a good appetito 
and greater general health. 

First, on getting up and going to bed, drink plenty of cold water. Eat 
for breakfast, until the bilious attack passes, a little stale bread, say one 
slice, and a piece as large as your hand of boiled lean beef or mutton. If 
the weather is warm, take instead a little cracked wheat, or oatmeal porridge. 
For dinner take about the same thing. Go without your supper. Exercise 
freely in the open air, producing perspiration, once or twice a day. In a 
few days your biliousness is all gone. This result will come, even though 
the biliousness is one of the spring sort, and one with wliicli you have, 
from year to year, been much afflicted. Herb drinks, bitter drinks, lager- 
beer, ale, whisky, and a dozen other spring medicines, are simply barbar- 
ous.* 

Diarrhoea and Dysentery — Nine Remedies. — 1. In all cases of diar- 
rhoea, dysentery, etc., perfect rest should be enjoined, which adds more to 
the removal of the difficulty than the too-frequent use of medicine. A re- 
cumbent position is best. 

2. Parched corn and meal, boiled in skimmed milk, and fed frequently to 
children suffering from summer diarrhoea, will almost always cure, as it will 
dysentery in adults, and often the cholera in its earliest stages. 

3. Common rice, parched brown like coffee, and then boiled and eaten in 
the ordinary way, without any other food, is, with perfect quietude of the 
body, one of the most effective remedies for troublesome looseness of the 
bowels. 

4. Put a quarter pound of oat-meal, an ounce and a half of sugar, half a 
teaspoonful of salt, and three pints of water, into a stew-pan, boil slowly 
twenty minutes, stir continually. Before serving, add one pint boiled miik. 
one ounce butter, and a little pounded spice. 

* Dio Lewis.. 



304 Home anb Health. 

5. A spoonful or two of pure, raw wheat-flour, thinned with»ater so it can 
be easily drunk. Three or four doses, taken at intervals of ten or twelve hours, 
will generally cure any case not absolutely chronic. To make the dose pal- 
atable for children, it can be sweetened, and flavored with some drops not 
acid. 

6. A physician says : " My attention was called, a short time since, to a 
novel, but nevertheless successful, remedy. While rendering medical assist- 
ance to an extremely sick patient with an obstinate attack of cholera morbus. 
all my remedies were of no effect until, by request, a large onion was peeled 
and cut in half, and one half placed in each arm-pit. In several attacks since 
that time have I seen this remedy promptly control the incessant vomiting, 
and relieve the distressing nausea." 

'7. Take one gill of rice, and place in a spider over the fire, stirring it con- 
stantly until thoroughly brown. Do not burn it. As soon as it is thoroughly 
brown, fill the spider with boiling water, and let it boil till the mass is of the 
consistency of thin paste. If the rice is not cooked perfectly soft, add a lit- 
tle more water and let it boil away again. Be careful at the last moment 
that it does not burn on the bottom. When cooked soft, turn into a bowl, 
sweeten with loaf or crushed sugar, and salt to suit the taste. Eat in milk. 

8. For diarrhoea in children, take one cup wheat flour, and tie in a stout 
cloth, and drop in cold water ; then set over the fire and boil three hours 
steadily. After it is cold, remove the cloth and crust formed by boiling. The 
ball thus prepared can be kept ready for use for any length of time. To use, 
grate a tablespoonful for a cupful of boiling water and milk — each one-half. 
Wet up the flour with a very little cold water ; stir in, and boil five minutes. 
Sweeten to taste. Use a little salt, if desired. 

9. Nothing is easier to check than chronic diarrhoea, if it is of the genuine 
kind, which you may know by the symptom of a clean, very smooth tongue. 
If the tongue is not clean and smooth, the diarrhoea may be an effort of na- 
ture to clean you out, and you had best let it alone. If it is really chronic 
diarrhoea, take pills of opium and tannin, (provided they are prescribed by 
your physician,) one grain of each, at intervals during a few days, and it will 
stop the trouble. But stop using the pills as soon as possible, or you may 
have trouble of an opposite kind. 

Constipation — Cause and Cure. — Over-indulgence in animal food is a 
frequent cause of constipation. No nation consumes such quantities of flesh 
meats, and so many times a day, as the American. Dyspepsia and constipa- 
tion result. The rapidity with which we eat, and which causos dyspepsia, ii» 
equaled by the carelessness, the hvirry, and the neglect which we inflict upon 
the colon and rectum. A neglect of a regular and proper hour to evacuate 
the bowels often induces constipation. 



Brief Cures for Va/n'ious Diseases. 305 

Abstaiu from tea and coifce, eat plenty of f^-esh vegetables, drink a glasa 
of water immediately after rising in the morning, eat slowly, and masticate 
the food well, avoid salt meats and salt fish, and take one tablespoonful of 
sulphur every other night upon retiring. 

Cures for Boils. — 1. An experienced and well-known New York phy- 
sician * prescribes the following cure for boils : Procure one ounce horse-rad- 
ish root, one ounce yellow-dock root, and one quart of cider. Boil ten min- 
utes. Drink a wine-glassful three times a day. The physician referred 
to hinted, suh rosa, that the cider need not be continued after the boils are 
cured. 

2. As soon as the characteristic culminating point of a boil makes its ap- 
pearance, put in a saucer a thimbleful of camphorated alcohol, and, dipping 
the ends of the middle fingers into the liquid, rub the inflamed surface, es- 
pecially the middle portion, repeating the operation eight or ten times, con- 
tinuing the rubbing at each time for about half a minute. Then allow the 
surface to dry, placing a slight coating of camphorated olive-oil over the af- 
''ected surface. One such application, in almost all such cases, causes boils 
to dry up and disappear. The application should be made at morning, noon, 
and in the evening. The same treatment will cure whitlows, and all injuries 
of tips of fingers. As soon as pain and redness appear, the fingers should 
be soaked for ten minutes in camphorated sweet-oil. The relief is said to be 
immediate, and three applications are generally enough to afford a cure. 

To Prevent and Cure Ulcers. — 1. Dried and pulverized clay applied 
to an ulcer will cure it in a short time, and leave no scar. 

2. Petroleum has been used, with good results, as an external application 
to ulcers and wounds. It may be used undiluted or diluted with equal parts 
of oil or glycerine. 

3. Ulcers caused by cyanide of potassium, so much used by photographers, 
may be guarded against by rubbing the hands, when soiled with it, with a 
mixture of photo-sulphate of iron reduced to a very fine powder, and linseed 
oil. 

Felons— Eight Thoroughly-Tested Cures. — 1. Take a pint of com- 
mon soft soap, and stir in air-slaked lime till it is of the consistency of 
glazier's putty. Make a leather thimble, fill it with this composition, and in- 
sert the fingers therein, and a cure is certain. 

2. As soon as the parts begin to swell, get the tincture of lobelia, and wrap 
the part affected with a cloth saturated thoroughly with the tincture, and the 
felon is dead. An old physician says he has known it to cure in scores of 
cases, and it never fails if applied in season. 

♦Dr. Walter Palmer. 
20 



306 Home and Health. 

3. As soon as the disease is felt, put directly over the spot a fly blister, 
about the size of your thumb-nail, And let it remain for six hours, at the ex- 
piration of which time, directly under the surface of the blister, may be seen 
the felon, which can be instantly taken out with the point of a needle or a 
lancet. 

4. When the felon first appears, procure some poke root, and roast a piece 
sufficient to cover your finger. When it is roasted tender, cut it open and 
l)ind it on the felon as hot as can be borne; repeat this when the root be- 
comes dry, until the pain subsides. If the felon is too far advanced to "put 
back," this same remedy will hasten it on and cure it in a few days, is it 
softens the skin. 

5. Probe the swelling of the finger, making a small incision where the pain 
appears greatest. The pain of the operation may be lessened by the local ap- 
plication of ether or inhalation of chloroform. The after-treatment is etiually 
simple. The small wound is to be covered with lint and carbolic acid, and 
bathed morning and evening in tepid water. In a few days it is perfeclly 
healed. 

6. Take an earthen crock, put in a quantity of live coals, throw on a hand- 
ful each of hops, rye flour, and brown sugar ; then steam the affected part for 
about fifteen minutes, repeating two or three times, by holding it over the 
vessel. The better way is to bore a hole through a board, thus having 
the affected part only coming in contact with the steam. This is guaranteed 
as a certain cure. 

7. Elder Evans, the Shaker, says : " For the past ten years we have treated 
felons with hot water, and with unerring success. No cutting, no blistering, 
no any thing, but immersing the finger, hand, or even the whole arm if 
necessary, in water as hot as can be borne, until the pain is gone, and the 
core is loosened and drawn from the bone. When rusty nails have produced 
wounds, the same course has been pursued. If on the hand or foot, keep it 
in hot water." 

8. Take the root of the plant known as dragon root, Jack-m-the-pulpit, or 
Indian turnip, either green or dry; grate about one half a teaspoonful into 
four tablespoonfuls of sweet milk ; simmer gently a few minutes, then thicken 
with bread crumbs, and apply as hot as possible. This can be heated again 
two or three times, adding a little milk each time. If the felon is just start- 
ing, this will drive it back ; if somewhat advanced, it will draw it out quickly 
and gently. It is well to put a little tallow on the poultice, especially after 
opening, to prevent sticking. This same poultice is good for a carbuncle or 
any other rising. 

Cancers — Important Methods of Prevention and Relief. — 1. Gastric 

juice has effected romarkMhlo euies. External applications must be made 



Brief Cures fo7' Various Diseases. 307 

three times a day for about twenty days. The first application causes much 
pain, but this may be lessened by the use of almond oil. 

2 Several cases of cancer, and other malignant tumors, have been -: peedily 
cured by the application of acetic acid. In some instances of cure by this 
prescription, the cancers and tumors had been of long standing. 

3. Take an egg and break it ; pour out the white, retaining the yoke in the 
shell; put in salt, and mix with the yoke as long as it will receive it; stir 
:hem together antil the salve is formed ; put a portion of this on a piece of 
sticking-plaster, and apply to the cancer about twice a day. 

4. The exquisite pain which belongs to open cancer is found to be best re- 
lieved by the stramonium ointment which is employed in London. The fol- 
lowing is the formula : Half a pound of fresh stramonium leaves, and two 
pounds of lard ; mix the bruised leaves with the lard, and expose to a mild 
heat until the leaves become friable, and strain through lint. The ointment 
thus prepared is spread upon lint, and the dressing changed three times a 
day.* 

6. A large majority of the cases of cancerous tumors may be cured, or en- 
tirely arrested and brought within safe limits, by the following management : 

(1.) Wear a wet compress, covered with half a dozen thicknesses of dry 
flannel, every night over the tumor. 

(2.) Go out much in the sun. 

(3.) Breathe /w/^ of the purest air day and night. 

(4.) Eat the best beef and bread, and no trash. 

(5.) Go to bed at eight o'clock, and sleep as long as possible. Lie down an 
hour in the middle of every day, and try to sleep. 

(6.) Cultivate a cheerful, jolly temper. 

(7.) Exercise freely every day in the open air. 

(8.) Keep your skin open by a regular morning bath in soap and water. 

Treatment of Scabies. — With regard to the efficacy of sulphur in the 
treatment of this disease, Dr. Carl H. Smith, of Kenton, Ohio, writes the 
Boston Medical and Surgical Journal that he has employed it, mixed with 
gtycerine, to the consistence of an ointment, in upwards of five hundred 
cases, in civil and army practice, with unfailing success. In three or four 
days the disease disappeared, in every instance, one or two applications hav- 
ing been made daily. 

Whooping-Cough — Two Views of Giving Medicine. — 1. Dr. Arnold, 
of Maryland, discussed recently, at a meeting of the Medical Association, the 
quention of whooping-cough, in the following strain : " I am more and more 
impressed with the little reliability of therapeutic remedies in this disease. 
We have so many medicines presented for our acceptance; some. based upon 

*> Medical and Surgical Reporter. 



308 Home and Health. 

certain pathological theories ; some upon no theory at all, and others upon a 
delusion. In my own family this disease prevailed ; I did nothing for it, and 
it got well in six weeks. If I had used medicines I would have thought that 
I had cured it. We know nothing of its cause ; there is great diversity ia 
regard to its pathology, and no unanimity of treatment. Many popular reme- 
dies are in use, but in bad cases no remedy seems to be of any great benefit." 

2 T. Prestwick, in the Lancet^ (December 9, 18*71,) reports over thirty cases 
showing the value of cod-liver oil in whooping-cough. The improvement fol- 
lowing the use of the oil in his practice has been such that he considers it 
as a specific for whooping-cough. As the spasmodic attacks of this com- 
plaint are almost always preceded by inflammatory or catarrhal symptoms, 
these he treats in the usual manner, and afterward administers the oil. It \9 
a remarkable circumstance that not one death has occurred when the oil has 
been administered and has been retained on the stomach. 

Croup — Six Methods of Instant Relief. — One teaspoonful of molas- 
ses and a teaspoonful of goose-oil, given to a child inclined to the croup, will 
generally relieve it at once. 

For speedy relief, take a knife or grater, and shave or grate off in small 
particles about a teaspoonful of alum ; mix it with about twice the quantity 
of sugar or honey, to make it palatable, and administer as quickly as possible. 
This will give almost instant relief. 

A lady correspondent of the Maine Farmer says the following is an effect- 
ive remedy for croup : " Half a teaspoonful of pulverized alum in a little 
molasses. It is a simple remedy, one almost always at hand, and one dose 
seldom fails to give relief. If it should, repeat it after one hour." 

French physicians claim the discovery of a perfect cure for croup in flour 
of sulphur exhibited in water. M. Lagauterie gives in croup teaspoonful 
doses of a mixture of sulphur and water (a teaspoonful to a glass of water) 
every hour with wonderful effects. Seven severe cases were cured in two 
days. 

J. K. Holloway, M.D., in a letter to the Medical and Surgical Jour7ial^ de- 
scribes the successful cure of a very extreme case of croup by causing the 
patient to inhale the evaporations of lime-water. The patient had been suf- 
fering for thirty-six hours with membraneous croup, and without relief from 
other medicines. No time was to be lost. Lime unslaked was put into 
a pitcher. A blanket was then so thrown over the patient and the pitcher aa 
to cause the inhalation of the free lime vapor. In twenty minutes the pa- 
tient was fully relieved. 

Dr. D. W. Williams, of Liverpool, communicates the following to the Brii 
ish Medical Journal on the use of quinine in croup : — 

" In 1862 I examined the trachea of three children who died of croup, and 
found the mucous membrane covered with a yellowish-white substance like 



Brief Cures for Various Diseases. 309 

gruel, (muco-pntriform matter,) the membrane itself being reddened. A crow- 
quill could liave been passed down the tube without touching the substance 
which lined its walls. There was nothing like blocking, nothing like tubes 
of false membranes, (lymph,) yet my little patient died of slow suffocation. 

" While thinking of these cases, one of my own children took the croup. 
The usual reuiedies were adopted ; but in a few hours the result could be but 
too easily foi-etold ; she was slowly choking. The restlessness and anxiety so 
well known was great, and I asked myself these questions: 'Is this child dy- 
ing from inflammation and blocking of the trachea, or from a blood-poison, 
which manifests itself in local inflammation and spasms ?' Inclining to the 
latter opinion, I gave her a grain of quinine, a large dose for a child twelve 
months old. In twenty minutes the relief was surprising ; the restlessness, 
etc., abated. In an hour a second grain was given, and the child fell asleep, 
and made an excellent recovery, the quinine being continued in smaller doses. 
Since this I have treated several cases in the same way, with similar result. 
In bronchitis and pneumonia also, I find quinine of great value when the dis- 
tress is out of proportion to the amount of disease." 

Hay-fever — Class of Persons Affected. — In a book entitled " Ex- 
perimental Researches on the Causes and Nature of Catarrhus ^stivus," 
(Hay-fever or Hay-asthma,) Mr. Blackley published some very interesting 
conclusions respecting this singular disease. He finds that it is peculiar to the 
educated classes, but is not aristocratic, like the gout, being more common in 
proportion to the spread of mental culture and the intensity of intellectual 
occupation. And yet a highly-organized state of the mind is not the only ele- 
ment in its propagation, for race-qualities seem to have a marked effect upon 
it. Thus in Europe, it is most common in England, after which follow Ger- 
many, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Scotland, Italy, Russia, and Ireland. 
Climate, therefore, has no influence upon its propagation, for England and 
Ireland, which are geographically contiguous, form the extremes of the above 
list. Out of 152 patients, 81 were English, 36 Germans, and only 1 Irish. 

Hay-fever — Causes. — As to the actual inciting cause of the disease, it 
has been referred to summer heat, dust, ozone, the odors of flowers, the pol- 
len of blossoms, and especially of grasses. The author's experiments led 
him to the conclusion that it is to the pollen of flowering plants (including 
passes) that the disease is due. He collected pollen-grains from the atmos- 
phere, and gives curves showing the number of grains which gathered on a 
square centimeter of surface, from May 28 to August 1, 1866 — the highest 
number, 880, falling on June 28. 

Hay-fever — Localities Most Affected.— By using kites he ascertained 
the proportionate amount of pollen at high levels in the atmosphere, with the 
eomewhat remarkable result, that at 1,500 feet above the earth the pollen 



310 Home and Health. 

was found to be more abundant than on the surface. The author found that 
germs and spores of other plants generally outnumbered the pollen, and he 
thinks that " if these should resemble pollen in its capacity for absorbing 
water and discharging granular matter under the influence of moisture, we 
may have a form of finely-divided vegetable and animal matter thrown into 
the air which the best modern instruments might fail to discover the nature 
and origin of, but which might, nevertheless, be a powerful cause of disease." 
As to the places least likely to be affected by the disease, the author found 
hay-fever least common in those localities where pollen is least likely to be 
plentiful, such as the centers of large cities, the sea-shore, and high-lying dis- 
tricts given up to pasturage. 

Remedies for Hay-fever. — Dr. George M. Beard, in a new treatise on 
the subject of hay-fever, expresses the opinion (formed after extensive ob- 
servation and investigation concerning over two hundred cases) that the dis- 
ease is not amenable to any specific remedy ; that the leading indications are 
prevention — avoidance of heat, light, worry, dust, vegetable and animal irri- 
tants, and other exciting causes, fortifying the system by tonics, before and 
during the attack, and relieving the symptoms by sedatives and anodynes ; 
indications which are best met by resort to the sea-shore or to a sea- voyage, 
high latitudes, and — for those who cannot avail themselves of such changes 
— cool, closed, dark rooms. 

Eruptive Fevers. — For the early stages, when the skin is hot, a warm 
bath, or tepid sponging will be useful. Cleanse the eyes and nostrils with 
water and a piece of lint as often as necessary. If small-pox, and the pus- 
tules have burst, this is all that is practicable. Light poultices to the face 
will prevent pitting. To allay itching, oil the pustules on the face and neck 
with olive-oil and cold cream. The same will apply in scarlet-fever. In 
small-pox, the nurse must examine the body ; and if she finds any signs of 
abscesses forming, should report to the physician ; she should, also, use ev- 
ery precaution against bed-sores. 

Symptoms and Preventives of Fever. — Fevers, and many acute dis- 
eases, are often preceded by a loss of appetite, headache, shivering, " pains 
in the bones," indisposition to work, etc. In such cases, sponge with tepid 
water, and rub the body till all aglow. Go to bed, place hot bricks to the 
feet, take nothing but a little gruel, or beef-tea, and drink moderately of 
warm, cream-of -tartar water. If you do not feel better the next morning, 
call a physician. If that be impossible, take a dose of castor-oil, or Epsom- 
salts. 

Relief of Sea-sickness. — A distinguished physician writes : " In the 
greater number of instances I allow the stomach to discharge its contents 
once or twice, and then, if there is no organic disease, I give five drops of 



Brief Cures for Yariouf^ Diseases. 311 

chloroform in a little water, and, if necessary, repeat the dose in four or six 
hours. The almost instant effect of this treatment, if conjoined with a few 
simple precautions, is to cause an immediate sensation, as it were, of warmth 
in the stomach, accompanied by almost total relief of the nausea and sick- 
ness, likewise curing the distressing headache, and usually causing a quiet 
sleep, from which the passenger awakes quite well."' 

To Avoid Sea-sickness. — While sitting, avoid resting the feet on the 
floor. Be seated so that the roll of the ship shall not pitch you forward or 
backward, but from side to side. Whenevever the premonitory symptoms of 
sea-sickness occur, do not fix attention on any near object ; omit reading or 
writing ; go to meals regularly ; eat sparingly, of plain food. 

Temporary Relief for Neuralgia. — 1 . A New Hampshire gentleman 
says : " Take two lai'ge table-spoonfuls of cologne, and two tea-spoonfuls of 
fine salt ; mix them together ii; a small bottle ; every time you have any acute 
affection of the facial nerves, or neuralgia, simply breathe the fumes into 
your nose from the bottle, and you will be immediately relieved." 

2. Prepare horse-radish by grating and mixing in vinegar, the same aa for 
the table, and apply to the temple, when the face or head is affected ; or to 
tlie wrist, when the pain is in the arm or shoulder. 

Cure of Stammering. — The effectual cure mainly depends upon the de- 
termination of the suif erer to carry out the following rule : Keep the teeth 
close together, and before attempting to speak, inspire deeply ; then give 
time for quiet utterance, and, after very slight practice, the hesitation will be 
relieved. No spasmodic action of the lower jaw must be permitted to separ 
rate the teeth when speaking. 



MISCELLANEOUS HEALTH NOTES. 

Pine Woods and Health. — The pleasant odor emitted by fir-trees in a 
bunny atmosphere has long been thought serviceable to invalids, and the 
vi(;inity of pine woods has been declared salubrious. 

Danger of Cold Water in the Pace. — It is dangerous to wash the face 
it cold water when much heated. It is not dangerous, but pleasantly effica- 
cious, if warm water is used. 

A Most Refreshing Bath. — Sun baths cost nothing, and are the most re- 
fieshing, life-giving baths that one can take, whether sick or well. Read 
carefully our chapter on " Sunlight and Health." 

To Prevent Harm from Drinking Cold Water. — It is a very safe rule 
to wet your wrists before drinking cold water if at all heated. The effect is 



312 Home ant> Health. 

Immediate and grateful, and the danger of fatal results may be warded off by 
this simple precaution, 

Ho"W to Avoid Pneumonia. — Never allow yourself to be chilled " through 
and through ; " it is this which destroys so many every year, in a few days' 
sickness, from pneumonia, called by some lung-fever, or inflammation of the 
lungs. 

Position After Being Tired. — If very tired physically, lie on the back, 
knees drawn up, the hands clasped above the head, or resting on the elbows, 
the fore-arm at right angles, and the hands hanging over by the bend of the 
wrists. 

Opening Abscesses Under Water. — According to the Vienna corres- 
pondent of the Chicago Medical Examiner^ opening abscesses and buboes 
under water, and applying plaster of Paris, is being tried there with satisfac- 
tory results. 

Pie-crust and Dyspepsia. — Whoever eats heavy pie-crust commits a 
crime against his physical well-being, and must pay the penalty. The good 
house-wife should see to it that all pastry and cakes are light; no others 
should be eaten. 

Little Things and Health. — The little causes must be looked for. There 
are the little errors in diet, the little violations in our habits of exercise, 
study, sleep, dress, etc., etc. The wise and prudent will carefully attend to 
the little things. 

Guarding against Diphtheria. — People cannot be too careful in regard 
to diphtheria. No disease is so difficult to guard agamst after it has once en- 
tered a household. But where people live comfortably and cleanly, sUght 
precautions are sufficient to keep it away entirely. 

Eating at Certain Intervals. — After fifty years of age, if not a day- 
laborer, and sedentary persons after forty, should eat but twice a day — in the 
morning and about four in the afternoon ; persons can soon accustom them- 
selves to a seven hours' interval between eating, thus giving the stomach rest, 
for every organ without adequate rest will " give out " prematurely. 

Time Required for Digesting Food. — The following is the time re- 
quired to digest certain articles of food : 1 pound of meat, 3 hours ; cheese, 
3^ hours ; milk, 2 hours ; eggs, 3 hours ; veal, 4 hours ; fowls, 4 hours ; pork, 
4 hours ; tripe, 1 hour ; bread, 3^ hours ; boiled potatoes, 3^ hours, roasted, 
2 hours ; cabbage, 4^ hours ; beans, 2^ hours. 

Oold or Warm Drinks. — Whoever drinks no liquors at all, will add years 
of pleasurable existence to his life. Of cold or warm drinks, the former are 
the most pernicious. Drinking at meals induces people to eat more than they 
otherwise would, as any one can verify by experiment, and it is excess in eat- 
ing that devastates the land with sickness, suffering, and death. 



Miscellaneous Health Notes. 313 

How to Remove Bitter Taste. — To swallow a pill, place it under the 
tip of the tongue and iake a drink of water. The largest will go down almost 
without knowing it The taste left in the mouth after taking such bitter 
medicines as quinine, aloes, etc., is instantly neutralized by chewing a piece 
of liquorice root. 

Most Healthful Seat in a Car. — Other things being equal, the forward 
seats in a street or railway car are the most healthful. The forward motion 
of the car causes a current of air backward, carrying with it the exhalations 
fiom the lungs of the forward passengers. In all cases avoid as much as 
l)ossible inhaling another's " breath." 

Causes of Lung Congestion. — The causes that produce congestion of 
the lungs are — cold feet, tight clothing, costive bowels, sitting still until chilled 
after being warmed with labor or a rapid walk, going too suddenly from a 
close room into the air, especially after speaking, too hasty walking, or run- 
ning to catch a train, etc. 

Spread of Pestilence is possible through the rag-picker, who takes con- 
tagion to the very door of the rich man. The breath of the wretched beg- 
gar, craving arms of the lady at her carriage-step, may waft to her the seeds 
of death. The little street-wanderer, in brushing past your child, may render 
vain the anxious care of years. The highly-recommended nurse-maid may 
carry the infant into scenes and atmospheres the most dangerous. 

Sewing-Machines and Health. — Dr. Decaisne (X' Union Medicate) 
states, after a careful investigation of the cases of six hundred and sixty-one 
female operatives upon the sewing-machine, that they were not more subject 
than other working-women to disease, and that certain other cases which had 
been reported were evidently simple coincidences, and the results of labor too 
severe for the women's strength. 

A Specific for Scrofula. — Cranberry wine, taken internally and applied 
externally, is announced as a cure for scrofula. To make the wine, take the 
ripe berries, mash them in a mortar to a fine pulp, put into a stone jar, add 
one quart of water to two quarts of berries, stir it well, set away and let 
it stand a w ?tk ; then strain it through cotton, and you have a beautiful wine, 
\^hich, with a little sugar, makes at once a cooling and palatable drink. It 
d )es not ferment. 

Important Suggestion to Parents about Sitting. — A very common 
position in sitting, especially among men, is with the shoulders against the 
chair-back, with a space of several inches between the chair-back and the 
lower portion of the spdne, giving the body the shape of a half hoop ; it is 
the instantaneous, instinctive, and almost universal position assumed by any 
consumptive on sitting down, unless counteracted by an effort of the will • 



314 Home and Health. 

hence parents should regard such a position in their children with apprehen- 
sion, and should rectify it at once. 

Improper Sitting and its Evils.— Consumptive people, and all aflflicted 
with spinal deformities, sit habitually crooked, in one or more curves of the 
body. There was a time in all these when the body had its natural erect- 
ness, when there was not the first departure on the road to death. The make 
of oui' chairs, especially that great barbarism the unwieldy and disease-en- 
ger dering rocking-chair, favors these diseases, and undoubtedly, in some in- 
stances, leads to bodily habits from which originate the ailments just named, 
to say nothing of piles, fistula, and the Uke. The painful or sore feeUng 
which many are troubled with incessantly for years at the extremity of the 
backbone, is the result of sitting in such a position that it rests upon the seat 
of the chair a^ a point several inches forward of the chair-back. 

Chewing Between Meals. — The habit of chewmg substances of any 
kind between meals is always harmful to health. The chewing over-taxes the 
organs which secrete the saliva, and exhaust them so that the chief agent in 
promoting the digestion of food is diminished in quantity and efficiency. The 
act of chewing always excites the flow of saliva. Persons who chew gum 
soon become sensible of the exhaustion and fatigue of the sahvary glands. 
The same is true of those who chew tobacco. In order to the best condition 
of these glands they should rest " between meals." 

Remedy for Feverishness. — When persons are feverish and thirsty be- 
yond what is natural, indicated in some cases by a metallic taste in the mouth, 
one of the best " coolers " is to take a lemon, cut off the top, sprinkle over 
it some loaf-sugar, working it down into the lemon with a spoon, and then 
suck it slowly. Invalids with feverishness may take two or three lemons a 
day in this manner with most marked benefit, manifested by a sense of cool- 
ness, comfort, and invigoration. A lemon or two thus taken at " tea-time " 
is for some an excellent substitute for the ordinary supper in summer. 

Cause and Cure of Leanness. — Leanness may be caused by insuffi- 
<;ieut food, or over-exertion, or both. But the usual cause is disease ; the vi- 
iii\ powers being more occupied in removing impurities and poisons, and over- 
coming abnormal conditions, than in digesting and assimilating nutrient ma- 
terial. The patient should eat all the plain nutritious food that he can assim- 
ilate. Those lean persons who are not accustomed to fruit will find baked 
sweet apples a good addition to each meal to begin with. Oat-meal mush, 
with a sUce of wheat-meal bread, and two or three baked apples, make a 
breakfast with which any lean individual may be justly content. 

Cure of Obesity. — The diet advjsed for fat persons, by the best authori- 
ties, consists of food containing a large percentage of nitrogen, to which some 
vegetables without starcli, and cooked fruit are to be added, for the purpose 



Miscellameous Health Notes. 315 

of mq^erating the excitation due to animal nourishment. Beer is forbidden. 
Use very little sugar. Cheese, potatoes, rice, beans, peas, maize, macaroni, 
tapioca, arrowroot, and soups are not allowed. The use of sulphate of soda 
is recommended, as moderating the transformation of nitrogenous materials 
and stimulating the oxidation of fat; and the use of mineral waters contain- 
ing thf sulphate of soda in solution is considered of the greatest importance 
in thio respect. The waters of Marienbad,* which are especially rich in thi? 
salt, are stated to have, usually, the most happy eflPect. Their use, togetlioi 
with that of some alkaline pills, and a strict adherence to the condition;- 
above mentioned, caused a decrease in weight of from twenty-five to sixty 
pounds in different individuals in the course of a few weeks. 

Chief Causes of Sudden Death. — Very few of the sudden deaths which 
are said to arise from diseases of the heart do really arise from that cause. 
To ascertain the real origin of sudden deaths, an experiment was tried and 
reported to a Scientific Congress at Strasburg. Sixty-six cases of sudden 
death were made the subject of a thorough post-mortem examination; in 
these cases only two were found who died from disease of the heart. Nine 
out of sixty-six had died from apoplexy, while there were forty-six cases of 
congestion of the lungs — that is, the lungs were so full of blood they could 
not work, there not being room enough for a sufficient quantity of air to en- 
ter to support life. 

Medical Qualities of Pumpkins. — A prominent physician of New York 
city, speaking of the properties of pumpkins, says that in his travels in Syria 
he found pumpkin-seeds almost universally eaten by the people on account 
of their supposed medical qualities. Not because they are diuretic, but as 
an antidote against animalculae which infest the bowels. They are sold in 
the streets as apples and nuts are here. 

It is a medical fact that persons can be cured of tape-worm by the use of 
pumpkin-seeds. The outer skin being removed, the seeds are bruised in a 
mortar into an oily, pasty mass. It is swallowed by the patient after fasting 
some hours, and it takes the place of chyle in the stomach, and the tape- 
worm lets go its hold on the membrane and becomes gorged with this sub- 
stance, and in some measure, probably, torpid. Then a large dose of castor- 
oil is administered, and the worms are ejected before they are enabled to re- 
new their hold. 

To Keep White Hands. — Our readers need not suffer from having their 
hands affected by water or soapsuds if the hands are dipped in vinegar-water 
or lemon- juice immediately after. The acid destroys the corrosive effect of 
the alkali, and makes the hands soft and white. 

A Good Tooth-wash. — Dissolve two ounces of borax in three pints of 

■ ■ ■■ - - — — — ■ ■■ - ■ . , ■ ^ 

* Mr. Scbiriil, iu Ifdvpers* Weekly, 



316 Home axd Health. 

boiling water, and before it is cold add one or two teaspoonfuls of spirits of 
camphor, and bottle for use. A tablespoonful mixed with an equal quantity 
of tepid water, and applied daily with a soft brush, purifies and beautifies the 
teeth, tends tq prevent the formation of tartar, and induces a healthy action 
of the gums. 

To Remove Moth from the Face. — The principal causes of moth spots 
are biliousness, and a torpid liver. A distinguished and successful physi- 
cian prescribes this remedy: "Put ten drops of elixir of vitriol into half a 
tumbler of water, and drink the whole dilution twice daily." 

Pimples on the Face. — Pimples about the face are extremely common 
and very annoying. Dr. Dio Lewis writes : " The number of persons who 
have written me about this difficulty must be thousands. In the absence of 
any definite information about the particular condition of the general health, 
I have always to say that the only remedy is to be sought in the improvement 
m the systematic tone. Eating in moderate quantities nourishing and simple 
food, keeping the bowels regular, exercising and sleeping wisely; in brief, 
observing the laws of health, elevating and purifying the system, is the only 
cure. The skin must be thoroughly bathed with soap and water every night 
on going to bed, or every morning, as may be more convenient." 

To Strengthen the Hair. — Dilute an ounce of borax and an ounce of 
camphor in two quarts of water, and wash the hair thoroughly twice a week, 
clipping the ends off occasionally. It will quickly grow long, thick, and 
even. 

To Cool a Room. — Wet a cloth of any size, the larger the better, and 
suspend it in the room. Let the ventilation be good, and the temperature 
will sink from ten to twenty degrees in less than an hour. 

Protection from Damp Walls. — Boil one pound of powdered sulphur 
in two quarts of water for half an hour. Apply with a brush while still 
warm, and you will prevent the damp and unwholesome oozings from the 
brick walls of your workshops. 

To Make a Good Court-Plaster. — Balsam of benzoin one part, alcohol 
twelve parts, mix — then isinglass two parts, and watJih' barely sufficient to 
dissolve. Strain the two solutions separately, then mix them. For use, 
place the bottle in warm water, and give the silk, previously strained ou 
rollers, ten or twelve coats with a brush ; when dry, give it a coat of the fol- 
lowing : Ohio turpentine one part, tincture of benzoin two parts. 

To Relieve Whooping-Cough. — Dr. Snow has suggested the use of car- 
bolate of lime. It has apparently produced a marked effect in diminishing 
the frequency and severity of the paroxysms of coughing. Small quantities 
of the carbolate of lime are placed in saucers in the room where the child 
sleeps; merely sufficient to make the odor perceptible. The odor is like 



Miscellaneous Health Notes. 317 

coal tar, and if not too strong is not unpleasant. The carbolate of lime is 
about the same price as chloride of lime, and for all disinfecting purposes is 
far more valuable than the chloride of lime. 

Diphtheria — Its Symptoms. — Diphtheria is a kind of sore throat in 
^bich matter exudes from the raucous membrane. This stiffens into a pecul- 
iar white substance, patches of which may be seen in the back part of the 
moutli. Fever and debility accompany the disease, which is so sudden and 
insidious in its advances as to be exceedingly dreaded. 

Cause of Diphtheria. — Recents reports go to show that the principal 
causes of this ailment are polluted wells, foul and wet cellars, or no cellar at 
all ; and bad sewage, and cold, wet lands seem to afford the most favorable 
conditions for its existence. A preceding summer's drought, with ensuing low 
water in the wells and springs, have been noticed in connection with epidemic 
prevalence. In one family, two fatal cases originated during extreme low- 
ness of the water in the well, and while the water looked milky, and was re- 
fused by the cow, that would suffer thirst for days before she would drink it. 

Treatments of Diphtheria. — 1. The neck should be wrapped in a wet 
bandage and covered with red flannel or a woolen stocking. Gargle the throat 
with a solution of a teaspoonful of salt in a pint of water, or thirty grains of 
chlorate of potash in a wine-glass of water. 

2. Treatment consists in thoroughly swabbing the back of the throat with 
a wash made thus : " Table salt, two drachms ; black pepper, golden seal, 
nitrate of potash, alum, one dram each. Mix and pulverize, put into a 
tea-cup, which half fill with boiling water, stir well, and then fill up with 
good vinegar. Use every half hour, one, two, and four hours, as recovery 
progresses. The patient may swallow a little each time. Apply an ounce each 
of spirits turpentine, sweet oil, and aqua ammonia, mixed, to the whole of the 
throat and to the breast bone every four hours, keeping flannel to the parts. 

3. A simple and successful treatment of diphtheria may be found in the 
use of lemon juice. Gargle the throat freely with it, at the same time swal- 
lowing a portion, so as to reach all the affected parts. A French physician 
claims that he saved his own life with this pleasant remedy. 

4. It is said that diphtheria maybe speedily arrested, and sometimes cured, 
by swallowing lumps of ice, continuously, until relief is afforded ; let them, as 
much as possible, melt in the throat. Common sore throat is cured in the 
same way sometimes. 

5. A treatment which has the advantage of being short, if nothing else, 
consists in simply using a gargle of phenic acid and distilled water, with ex- 
ternal applications of new flannel ; the food and drink to be taken cold. 

Infection Carried by Pet Animals. — Hair and fur absorb and retain in 
& remarkable degree odors, gases, and minute substances discharged into, and 



318 Home and Health. 

transmitted by, the air. Attention has recently been called to a number of 
cases where scarlet fever has been proved to be conveyed, even after quite 
a time, from one person to another by pet dogs and cats. 

Plies as Poison Carriers. — Similar carriers of contagious material are 
flies, which with great indifference for the most odious substances, pass 
quickly from one surface to another, and from any diseased or foul matter to 
material used for food or drink. They may thus convey, by means of their 
feet and probosces, one substance to another, and it is, therefore, considered 
highly probable that the communication of contagious or septic i)oisons by 
their agency, is not by any means rare. 

To Prevent After-taste of Quinine. — The mastication of some acid 
fruit, as an apple or a pear, will permanently remove the disagreeable after- 
taste of quinine. The first moutliful of food sliould be well masticated and 
rolled through the jnouth, so as to cleanse the teeth, etc., and then ejected. 
The second morsel may be swallowed, when it will be discovered that all 
taste of the quinine will be removed. 

Inflation of the Lungs. — Five minutes spent in the open air, after dress- 
ing, inflating the lungs by inhaling as full a breath as possible, and gently 
pounding the breast during the inflation, will greatly enlarge the chest, 
strengthen the lung power, and very effectually ward off consumption.* 

Diet for Dyspeptics. — If inclined to be dyspeptic, avoid mince pie, saus- 
age, and other highly-seasoned food. Beware of eating too freely of soup ; 
better to eat food dry enough to employ the natural saliva of the mouth in 
moistening it. If inclined to over-eat, partake freely of rice, cracked wheat, 
and other articles that are easily digested. Eat freely of ripe fruit, and avoid 
excessive use of meats. Eat at regular hours, and lightly near the hour of 
going to bed. Eat slowly. Thoroughly masticate the food. Do not wash it 
down with continual drink while eating. 

Personal Health Tests. — Xew methods are receiving attention in these 
later years, given to health foods and health methods. Many intelligent 
writers are furnishing tlie publishing public with the result of careful and 
thorough experiments along the line of "practical hygiene." "How many 
meals shall we eat daily?" Test this for yourself, and do it thoroughly. 
Remember that as a rule the stomach is overtaxed both in times and quan- 
tity. If the new teacher advises the omission of the "breakfast" as a 
habit, try it and see. If some ministerial friend whose opinion you value 
tells you that since he adopted the plan of omitting his morning meal until 
after the morning sermon he preaches with greater vigor of thought to him- 
self and to his congregation than hitherto, and with less tax upon his 
physical strength, why may you not test the value of the suggestive hint 
thus received by this statement? 



HOME EOONOMIOS. 



WASTE IN THE KITCHEN. 

Waste in the kitchen is often very great from apparently trivial sourcea 
Housekeepers should read and ponder : — 

In cooking meats, the water is thrown out without removing the grease, or 
the grease from the dripping-j)an is thrown away. 

Pieces of bread in the bread-box, and cake in the cake-box, are left to dry 
and mold. 

Scraps of meat are thrown away. 

Cold potatoes are left to sour and spoil. 

Preserves are opened, forgotten, and left to mold and ferment 

Dried fruits are not looked after, and become wormy. 

Vinegar and sauce are left standing in tin. 

Apples are left to decay for want of " sorting over." 

Corks are left out of the molasses and vinegar jugs. 

The tea-canister is left open. 

Victuals are left exposed to be eaten by mice. 

Bones of meat and the carcass of turkey are thrown away, when they 
could be used in making good soups. 

Vegetables and puddings left from the dinner are thrown away. 

Sugar, tea, coifee, and rice are carelessly spilled in the handling. 

Soap is left to dissolve and waste in the water. 

Dish-t<Hs'els are used for dish-cloths. 

Napkins are used for dish-towels. 

Towels are used for holders. 

Brooms and mops are not hung up. 

Coal is Avasted by not sifting the ashes. 

More coal is burned than necessary, by not arranging dampers when not 
using the fire. 

Lights are left burning when not used. 

Tin dishes are not properly cleansed and dried. 

Knives and forks get rusty, for want of care. 

Nice ones are spoiled by use in the kitchen. 

Pails and wash-tubs fall to pieces, because left dry. 

Potatoes in the cellar grow, and thus become unfit for eating. 

Ashes are thrown out and wasted, when they could be utilized in different 
ways. 



320 Home Economics. 

Carpets are swept with stub brooms which wear out the carpet texture. 

Good new brooms are used in scrubbing the kitchen-floors. 

Sheets are scorched and injured by being used in ironing. 

Silver spoons are used in scraping kettles. 

Good forks are used and ruined in toasting bread. 

The flour is sifted in a wasteful manner, or the bread-pan left with dough 
sticking to it. 

rie-crust is left and laid by to sour, instead of making a few tarts for tea, 
ste. 

Cole puddings are considered good for nothing, when often they can be 
sttamed for the next day, or, in case of rice, made over in other forms. 

Vegetables are thrown away that would warm for breakfast nicely. 

Cream is left to mould and spoil. 

Mustard is left to spoil in the cruse, or rust, etc. 

Vinegar is allowed to stand until the tin vessel becomes corroded and 
spoiled. 

Pickles become spoiled by the leaking out or evaporation of the vinegar. 

Pork spoils for want of salt, and beef because the brine wants scalding. 

Hams become tainted, or filled with vermin, for the want of care. 

Cheese molds, and is eaten by mice or vermin. 

Lard is not well tried in the fall, and becomes tainted. 

Tea and coffee-pots are injured on the stove. 

Soap-suds are thrown away instead of being used as a valuable addition 
to the soil in the garden. 

Potatoes are " peeled " before boiling, thus losing a large fraction of the 
substance. It is much more economical to boil before the rind is removed ; 
then only the thin rind is lost. 

Wooden-ware is unscalded, and left to warp and crack. 

N. B. — The above list is partial. It could easily be extended. 



KITCHEN FURNITURE.-CLEANING. 

Healing New Iron. — Neio iron should be very gradually heated at first. 
After it has become inured to the heat, it is not so likely to crack. 

To Prevent Crust in Tea-kettles. — Keep an oyster-shell in your tea- 
kettle. By attracting the stony particles to itself, it will prevent the forma- 
tion of a crust. 

To Clean Tea-kettles. — Kerosene will make your tea-kettle as bright as 
new. Saturate a woolen rag and rub with it. It will also remove stains from 
clean varnished furniture. 



kitchen Fiirniture. — Clea/ning. 32| 

Glass should bo washed in cold water, which gives it a brighter and 
clearer look than when cleansed with warm water. 

Glass Vessels, and other utensils, may be purified and cleaned by rinsing 
them out with powdered charcoal. 

To Clean Coal-oil Cans. — After cleansing them as much as possible with 
wood ashes and hot water, use nitric-acid in moderate quantities, which will 
soon remove the difficulty. 

Washing Knives and Forks. — Do not let knives be dropped into hot 
dish-water. It is a good plan to have a large tin pot to wash them in, just 
high enough to wash the blades without wetting the handles. 

To Clean Knives. — Cut a small potato in two ; dip one half in the brick- 
dust, and rub the knives, and rust and stain will disappear like magic from 
their surfaces. 

Scouring Knives. — Place a quantity of brick-dust on a board, and having 
the knife perfectly dry, press it down hard and rub it back and forth cross- 
wise of the blade. When bright, turn and scour the other side. Then wipe 
off with chamois leather. Knives thus treated will retain their brightness 
much longer, and have a new look after years of usage. 

To Extract Stains from Silver. — Sal ammoniac, one part ; vinegar, six- 
teen parts. Mix and use this liquid with a piece of flannel, then wash the 
plate in clean water. 

Silver Soap. — For cleaning silver and Britannia : One half pound of soap ; 
three tablespoonfuls of spirits of turpentine, and half a tumbler of water. 
Let it boil ten minutes ; add six tablespoonfuls of spirits of hartshorn. " Make 
a suds of this, and wash silver with it. 

To Clean Silver. — Cleansing silver is not an easy task ; the use of kero- 
sene will greatly facilitate the operation. Wet a flannel cloth in the oil, dip 
in dry whiting, and thoroughly rub the plated or silverware ; throw it into a 
dish of scalding soapsuds, wipe with a soft flannel, and polish with a chamois 
skin. 

Another Method of Cleaning Silver. — Silver door-plates are most ex- 
peditiously cleaned with a weak solution of ammonia and water ; say one tea- 
spoonful of ammonia to a tea-cup of water, applied with a wet rag. It i8 
equally useful in cleaning other silver-plate and gold jewelry. 

Cleaning Tinware. — An experienced housekeeper says the best thing for 
cleaning tinware is common soda. She gives the following directions : Dampen 
a cloth, and dip in soda, and rub the ware briskly, after which wipe dry. Any 
blackened ware can be made to look as well as new. 

To Clean Tin Covers. — Get the finest whiting ; mix a little of it pow- 
dered with the least drop of sweet oil, rub the covers well with it, and wipe 

/v i. 



322 Home Economics. 

them clean ; then dust over them some dry whiting in a muslin bag, and rub 
bright with dry leather. This last is to prevent rust, which the cook must 
guard against by wiping them dry, and putting them by the fire when they 
come from the dining-room, for if but once hung up damp the inside will 
rust. 

To Polish Tins. — First rub them with a damp cloth ; then take dry flour 
and rub it on with the hands ; afterward take an old newspaper and rub th« 
flour off, and the tins will shine as well as if half an hour had been spent rub- 
bing them with brick-dust or powder, which spoils the hands. 

Papier-Mache Articles should be washed with a sponge and cold water, 
without soap, dredged with flour while damp, and polished with a flannel. 

Japanned Ware. — Wet a sponge in warm water, and dampen it over ; 
then wipe off with a soft cloth. If a tray becomes spotted, take a bit of 
woolen cloth and dip into a little sweet oil, and rub it as hard as possible, and 
the marks, if effaceable, will disappear. 

Cleaning Floor-boards. — Scrubbing them with a mixture made by dis- 
solving unslaked lime in boiling water, will have the desired effect. The pro- 
portions are, two tablespoonfuls to a quart of water. No soap need be used. 

Another Method. — Lime, one part; sand, three parts; soft soap, two 
parts. Lay a little on the boards with a scrubbing-brush, and rub thor- 
oughly. Rinse with clean water, and rub dry. This will keep the boards of 
a good color, and will also keep away vermin. 

To Clean Painted Wainscot, or Other Wood-work. — Fuller's earth 
will be found cheap and useful ; and on wood not painted, it forms an excel- 
lent substitute for soap. 

Cleaning Old Brass. — The best liquid for cleaning old brass is a solution 
of oxalic acid. 

To Clean a Brass Kettle. — Do this before using it for cooking ; use salt 
and vinegar. 

To Clean Brasses, Britannia Metals, Tins, Coppers, Etc. — These are 
cleaned with a mixture of rotten-stone, soft-soap, and oil of turpentine, mixed 
to the consistency of stiff putty. The stone should be powdered very fine and 
sifted ; and a quantity of the mixture may be made sufficient to last for a 
long while. The articles should first be washed with hot water, to remove 
grease. Then a little of the above mixture, mixed with water, should be 
rubbed over the metal ; then rub off briskly, with dry, clean rag, or leather, 
and a beautiful polish will be obtained. 

To Keep Iron from Rusting. — Kerosene applied by means of a moist- 
ened cloth to stoves, will effectually keep them from rusting during the sum- 
mer. It is also an excellent material to apply to all iron utensils used about 



Kitchen Furniture, — Clecmiiig. 323 

the farm. Give plows, cultivators, and the like, a coating before they are put 
away in the fall. 

Paper for Cleaning Stoves, Tinware, Furniture, Etc. — After a stove 
has been blackened, it can be kept looking very well for a long time by rub- 
bing it with paper every morning. Rubbing with paper is a much nicer way 
of keeping the outside of a tea-kettle, coffee-pot, and tea-pot, bright and 
clean, than the old way of washing them with suds. Rubbing with paper ia 
;ilso the best way of polishing knives, tinware, and spoons ; they shine like 
new silver. For polishing mirrors, windows, lamp-chimneys, etc., paper is 
better than a dry (.-loth. 

Cleansing Bottles. — Many persons clean bottles by putting in some small 
shot, and shaking them around. Water dissolves lead to a certain extent, 
and a film of this lead attaches itself to the sides of the bottle so closely that 
the shaking or rinsing with water does not detach it, and it remains to be 
dissolved by any liquid which has the least sourness in it, and if drank, lead 
poison may be the result. Sometimes a shot becomes Avedged in at the bot- 
tom of a bottle, to be dissolved by wine or cider. Therefore, it is better to 
wash every bottle as soon as emptied with warm water and wood ashes, or 
jaleratus, and put the bottle away, mouth open and downward ; but be care- 
ful to wash again when used, as flies and other insects frequently get into 
open bottles. Or, chop up a large potato very fine, and put it into the bottle 
with some warm water, and shake it rapidly until it is clean. 



SOAPS AND WASHING FLUIDS. 

Hard Soap. — Five pails soft soap, two pounds salt, and one pound resin. 
Simmer together, and when thoroughly fused, turn out in shallow pans so as 
to be easily cut. 

Soft Soap. — Boil twenty-five pounds of fried grease in two pails of strong 
lye. Next day add another pailful of hot lye ; also on the following day, if 
there is grease on the top of the soap. Afterward add a pailful of hot wa- 
ter each day until the barrel is filled. 

Excellent Soft Soap. — Take 16 quarts of lye of sufficient strength to 
float an egg ; 8 pounds of clean grease ; 1^ pounds resin ; put the whole into 
a five-pail kettle and boil it. At first it is apt to rise, in which case add a 
little strong lye, and so continue to do until the materials are incorporated. 
Then remove it from the fire, and add, by degrees, weak lye, stirring it at 
every addition, till the kettle is full. 

Common Hard Soap. — Put in an iron kettle five pounds unslaked lime, 
five pounds soda, and three gallons soft water ; let it soak over night ; in the 



324 H^ME Economics. 

morning pour off the water, then add three and a half pounds of grease, 
boil till thick, turn into a pan until cool, and then cut in bars. 

Labor-Saving Soap. — Take two pounds sal-soda, two pounds yellow bar- 
soap, and ten quarts of water ; cut the soap into thin slices, and boil together 
hvo hours ; strain, and it will be fit for use. Put the clothes to soak the night 
before you wash, and to every pail of water in which you boil them add a 
pound of soap. They will need no rubbing ; merely rinse them out, and they 
will be perfectly white and clean. 

Honey Soap. — Cut thin two pounds of yellow soap into a double sauce- 
pan, occasionally stirring it till it is melted, which will be in a few minutes, if 
the water is kept boiling around it ; then add a quarter of a pound of palm- 
oil, quarter of a pound of honey, ten cents' worth of true oil of cinnamon ; 
let all boil together another six or eight minutes ; pour out and stand it by 
till next day, it is then fit for immediate use. 

Using Soap. — Hard soap is fittest for washing clothes, and soft soap for 
floors. It is a good plan to soap your dirtiest clothes, and soak them over 
night in soft water. If you are at a loss to procure soft water for washing, 
fill a barrel half full of wood ashes, and fill it up with water, and you will 
have a lye whenever you want it. A gallon of strong lye put into a great 
boiler of hard water, will make it quite soft. Some use pearl-ash, or pot-ash ; 
but either injures the texture of the cloth. 

Suggestions. — A tablespoonful of turpentine boiled with white clothes, 
will greatly aid the whitening process. 

Boiling starch is much improved by the addition of sperm, or salt, or both, 
or a little gum-arabic, dissolved. 

Washing Fluid. — Five pounds of sal-soda, one pound of borax, one-half 
pound of fresh unslaked lime, four ounces of liquid ammonia. Pour one gallon 
of boiling water upon the soda and borax ; when it has dissolved and has 
cooled, add the ammonia. Slake the lime in one gallon of hot water, 
and let it stand until entirely settled, when the clear fluid must be care- 
fully poured off. Turn it upon the solution of soda and borax, and add to the 
mixture eight gallons of cold water. Put the clothes to soak the night before 
washing-day, with six tablespoonfuls of this fluid to a tub full of clothes. 

To Make Hard Water Soft. — Dissolve one pound of white rock pot- 
ash in one gallon of water, and then use half a gill of the preparation to a 
tub of water. 

To Clear Mdddy Water. — A little dissolved alum is very effective in 
clearing muddy water. If thrown into a tub of soap-suds, the soap, curdled 
and accompanied by the muddy particles, sinks to the bottom, leaving the 
water above clear and pure. In times of scarcity of water this may be used 
again for washing clothes. 



Washing Clothes. 325 

WASHING CLOTHES. 

To Clean a White Lace Veil. — Put the veil into a strong lather of whitv 
soap and very clear water, and let it simmer slowly for a quarter of an hour. 
Take it out and squeeze it well, but be sure not to rub it. Rinse it in two 
cold waters, with a drop or two of liquid blue in the last. Have ready some 
very clear gimi-arabic water, or some thin starch, or rice water Pass the 
veil through it and clear it by clapping. Then stretch it out even, and pin i1 
to dry on a linen cloth, making the edge as straight as possible, opening out 
all the scallops, and fastening each with pins. When dry, lay a piece of thin 
muslin smoothly over it, and iron it on the wrong side. 

To Wash Fine, Colored Fabrics. — To wash colored stockings, or any 
delicate colored fabrics, table-linen, lawns, or cambrics, etc., dissolve one 
tablespoonful of sugar of lead in one gallon water. Soak the articles th«r- 
oughly in the solution ; then dry. 

To Wash Merino Stockings. — Boil the soap to make a lather, wash 
them in this warm, and rinse in a second lather. If white, mix a little blue. 
N'ever rinse in plain water, or use cold water. 

To Make the Colors stand in Delicate Hose. — Turn the stockings 
right side out, and wash in a lather of lukewarm water and white castile soap ; 
then wash the wrong side. If very much soiled, two waters will be required. 
Rinse in lukewarm water and then in cold water ; dry as soon as possible by " 
heat, not by sun. It is better not to iron them, but when nearly dry, smooth 
and pull them into shape by hand. 

To Wash Chintz. — Boil two pounds of rice in two gallons of water till 
soft, and pour it into a tub ; let it stand until it subsides into a moderate 
warmth ; put the chintz in and wash it (without using soap) until the dirt 
disappears ; then boil the same quantity of water and rice as before, but 
strain off the rice and mix it in warm water. Wash the chintz in this till 
(luite clean ; afterward rinse it in the water the rice was boiled in ; this will 
answer for starch, and dew will not affect it. 

Washing Prints. — To a suflScient quantity of hot water for washing a 
dress add a tablespoonful of ox gall. Let the dress remain in this a few 
minutes, then coo^. enough to wash out like other prints. Rinse immediately 
in cold water and dry as quickly as possible in the open air. If there are 
spots to bo removed, apply soap when dry. 

Another. — Dissolve half an ounce of alum in sufficient water to rinse two 
print dresses. Dip your prints in, and when sure that every part is wet, 
wring them out ; then have a warm soapsuds, in which wash quickly and 
f-inse in cold water. Then in second rinsing-water mix your starch, rinse, 
\ring quickly, and hang to dry, not in the sun, but on a line where the wind 



326 Home Economics. 

will dry them quickly. Immediately they are dry enough, irou them ; or if 
this is not convenient, let them get quite dry and iron them through a damp 
cloth. Prints should never be sprinkled. 

To Make Use of Faded Prints. — Dingy print dresses can be bleached and 
made into something serviceable and pretty. When the season of soap-making 
approaches, have faded dresses ready to scald in lye. Let them be washed 
and boiled in hot suds until all the color possible is extracted, then finish the 
work by scalding with lye, washing with suds, and laying them on the fiist 
young grass. 

Cleansing Blankets. — Put two large tablespoonfuls of borax and a pint 
of soft soap into a tub of cold water. When dissolved, put in a pair of 
blankets, and let them remain over night. Next day, rub and drain them out, 
and rinse thoroughly in two waters, and hang to dry. Do not wring them. 

To Wash Flannel. — Never rub soap upon it. Make a suds by dissolving 
the soap in warm water. Kinse in warm water ; very cold or hot water will 
shrink flannel. Shake them out several minutes before hanging to dry. 
Blankets are washed in the same way. 

Restoring White Flannel. — To restore the appearance of white flannel 
which has turned yellowish by lying for a long time or by wear, soak for one 
hour in a weak solution of bisulphate of soda, then add a little diluted muri- 
atic acid, stir well, and cover the vessel for twenty minutes. After this take 
the flannel out, rinse in plenty of soft water, and dry in the sun. 

Washing Woolen Clothing.— Articles of woolen washed in ordinary 
Boap and water not only shrink, but acquire a pecuUar fatty odor, due to the 
decomposition of the soap by the lactic and acetic acids present in the per- 
spiration, and consequently precipitation of the greater part of the fat of 
the soap in the fiber of the wool. To prevent these effects steep the articles 
for several hours in a warm, moderately-concentrated solution of washing 
soda, then after the addition of warm water and a few drops of ammonia, 
wash and rinse them in lukewarm water. 

How to Wash Table-Linen. — Put a teaspoonful of sugar of ead into 
two-thirds of a pail of water, and when dissolved, soak the table-linen in it 
fifteen or twenty minutes. Be careful in wringing the article from this water 
that there is no cut or sore on the hands, as the sugar of lead is poisonous 
Every thing that is liable to fade must be washed quickly, and not allowed to 
soak in suds or rinsing-water, and hung in a shady place to dry. Never wash 
flannel, silk, or colored things on a wet or cloudy day, but lay them aside for 
a fair day ; and when washing such articles do not let them stand and soak, 
but wash, rinse, starch (if needed) and hang out each thing as fast as possi- 
ble, and then take the next. 



Washing Clothes. 327 

To Preserve Olothes-Pins. — Clothes-pinaf boiled a few moments, and 
quickly dried, once or twice a month, become more flexible and durable. 
Clothes-lines will last longer and keep in better order if occasionally treated in 
the same way. 



STARCHING, FOLDING, AND IRONING. 

To Prepare Starch. — Take two tablespoonfuls of starch dissolved in a& 
much water ; add a gill of cold water ; then add one pint of boiling water, and 
boil it half an hour, adding a small piece of spermaceti, sugar, or salt ; strain, 
etc. Thin it with water. 

Flour Starch. — Mix flour gradually with cold water, so that it may be 
free from lumps. Stir in cold water till it will pour easily ; then stir it into 
a pot of boiling water, and let it boil five or six minutes, stirring it frequently. 
A httle spermaceti will make it smoother. This starch will answer very well 
for cotton and linen. Poland starch is made in the same manner. 

Glue Starch. — Boil a piece of glue, four inches square, in three quarts of 
wjti,v.r. Keep it in a bottle well corked. Use for calicoes. 

Gum-arabic Starch. — Get two ounces of fine, white gum-arabic; pound 
it to powder ; put it into a pitcher, and pour a pint or more of boiling water 
upon it ; cover it well. Let it stand all night, and the next morning pour it 
carefully from the dregs into a clean bottle ; cork it, and keep for use. A 
tablespoonful stirred into a pint of starch made in the ordinary manner will 
restore lawns to almost their origmal freshness ; and it is also o-ood for thin 
white muslin and bobbinet. 

Starching Clothes. — Muslins look well when starched, and clapped dry, 
while the starch is hot, then folded in a damp cloth, till they become quite 
damp, before ironing them. If muslins are sprinkled, they are apt to be 
spotted. Some clap muslins, then dry them, and afterward sprinkle them. 

Sprinkling Clothes. — They should be sprinkled with clear water and laid 
in separate piles ; one of flannels, one of colored, one of common, and one of 
fine articles. 

Folding Clothes. — Fold the fine articles, and roll them in a towel ; then 
fold the rest, turning them all right side outward. Lay the colored articles 
separate from the rest. They should not remain damp long, as the colors 
might be injured. Sheets and table linen should be shaken and folded. 

Gloss for Linen. — " Starch Luster " is a substance used for washing pur- 
poses, which, when added to starch, causes the linen to which it is applied to 
assume not only a high polish, but a dazzling whiteness. A portion, of the 
size of a copper cent, added to half a pound of starch, and boiled with it for 



328 Home Economics. 

two or three minutes, will produce the best results. This substance is noth- 
ing more than stearine, paraffine, or wax, colored by a slight admixture of 
ultramarine blue. The latter may be added at will. 

To Make Flat-irons Smooth. — Rub them with clean lard, and wipe dry ; 
or rubbing them with a little beeswax while hot will have the desired effect. 

Another. — Rub them with fine salt, and it will make them perfectly 
smooth. 

To Preserve Irons from Rust. — Melt fresh mutton suet, smear over the 
irons with it while hot, then dust it well with unslaked lime, powdered and 
tied up in muslin. When not used, wrap the irons in baize, and keep them 
in a dry place. Use no oil on them at any time except salad oil. 

To Remove Starch or Rust from Flat-irons. — Have a piece of yellow 
beeswax tied in a coarse cloth. When the iron is almost hot enough to use, 
but not quite, rub it quickly with the beeswax, and then with a clean, coarse 
cloth. This will remove it entirely. 

Ironing. — In ironing a shirt, first do the back, then the sleeves, then the 
collar and bosom, and then the front. Calicoes should be ironed on the right 
side, as they thus keep clean for a longer time. In ironing a frock, first do 
the waist, then the sleeves, then the skirt. Keep the skirt rolled while iron- 
ing the other parts, and set a chair to hold the sleeves while ironing the skirt, 
unless a skirt-board be used. Silk should be ironed on the wrong side, when 
quite damp, with an iron which is not very hot, as light colors are apt to 
change and fade. In ironing velvet, turn up the face of the iron, and after 
dampening the wrong side of the velvet, draw it over the face of the iron, 
holding it straight. Always iron lace and needlework on the wrong side. 

Starching — Clear-starching, Etc. — To Make Starch for Linen, 
Cotton^ Etc. — To one ounce of the best starch add just enough soft cold 
water to make it, by rubbing and stirring, into a thick paste, carefully break- 
ing all the lumps and particles. When rubbed perfectly smooth, add a pint 
of boiling water, with blueing to suit, and boil for at least half an hour, taking 
care to have it well stirred all the time, to prevent its burning. When act 
stirring, keep it covered, to prevent the accumulation of dust, etc. Also keep 
it covered when removed from the fire, to prevent a scum from rising upon 
it. To give the linen a fine, smooth, glossy appearance, and prevent the iron 
from sticking, add a little spermaceti — a piece as large as a nutmeg — to the 
starch when boiling, and half a teaspoonful of the finest table-salt. In iron- 
ing linen collars, shirt bosoms, etc., their appearance will be much improved 
by rubbing them, before ironing, with a clean white towel, dampened in soft 
water. All starch should be strained before using. 

To Olear-starch Lace, Etc. — Starch for laces should be thicker and used 
hotter than for linena. After your laces have been well washed and dried, 



StarcJiing^ Folding^ and Iromng. 329 

dip them into the thick, hot starch in such a way as to have every part prop- 
ei'ly starched. Then wring all the starch out, and spread them out smooth on 
a piece of linen ; roll them up together, and let them remain for about half 
an hour, when thej will be dry enough to iron. Some think that laces should 
never be clapped between the hand, as it injures them. Cambrics do not re- 
quire so thick starch as net or lace. Some people prefer cold or raw starcsh 
for book-muslin, as some of this kind of muslin has a thick clammy appear- 
ance, if starched in boiled starch. Fine laces are sometimes wound round a 
glass bottle to dry, which prevents them from shrinking. 

Ironing Laces. — Ordinary laces and worked muslin can be ironed by the 
usual process with a smoothing or sad-iron ; finer laces cannot be. When the 
lace has been starched and dried, ready for ironing, spread it out as smooth as 
possible on an ironing-cloth, and pass over it, back and forth, as quickly as you 
can, a smooth, round glass bottle containing hot water, giving the bottle such 
pressure as may be required to smooth the lace. Sometimes you may pass 
the laces over the bottle, taking care to keep them smooth. Either way is 
much better than to iron. 



REMOVING STAINS. 

Grease-spots. — Cold rain-water and soap will remove machine-grease 
from washable fabrics. 

Stains from Acids can be removed by spirits of hartshorn, diluted. Re- 
peat, if necessary. 

Wine Stains may be taken out of articles by holding the spots in milk 
while it is boiling. 

Sal-volatile, or hartshorn, will restore colors taken out by acid. It may be 
dropped upon any garment without doing harm. 

Iron Rust. — Dip the rusty spots in a solution of tartaric or citric acid ; 
or wet the spots with lemon- juice, and rub on hard, white soap, expose it to 
the heat ; or apply lemon-juice and salt, and expose it to the sun. 

To Take Out Scorch. — Lay the article scorched where the bright sun- 
shine will fall upon it. It is said it will remove the spot, and leave it white 
as snow. 

Mildewed Linen. — This may be restored by soaping the spots; while 
wet, covering them with fine chalk scraped to powder, and well rubbed in. 

To Remove Mildew. — Remove mildew by dipping in sour butter-milk 
and laying in the sun. 



330 Home Economics. 

Another Method of Removing Mildew. — Pour one quart of boiling 
water on two ounces of chloride of lime, and strain through a cloth ; then 
add three quarts of cold water. Let the articles stand in this twelve hours, 
then rinse thoroughly. It will not injure the cloth. 

Coffee Stains. — Pour on them a small stream of boiling water before 
putting the article in the wash. 

Grass Stains. — Wash the stained places in clean, cold, soft water, with- 
out Boap, before the garment is otherwise wet. 

Tea Stains. — Clear, boiling water will remove tea stains, and many fruit 
stains. Pour the water through the stain, and thus prevent its spreading over 
the fabric. 

Medicine Stains. — These may be removed from silver spoons by rub- 
bing them with a rag dipped in sulphuric acid, and washing it off with soap- 
suds. 

Fruit Stains. — Freezing will take out all old fruit stains, and scald- 
ing with boiling water will remove those that have never been through the 
wash. 

Fruit Stains on Napkins, Table-cloths, etc. — Pour hot water on 
the spots ; wet with hartshorn or oxalic acid — a teaspoonful to a teacup of 
water. 

For Fruit and Wine Stains, mix two teaspoonfuls of water and one of 
spirit of salt, and let the stained part lie in this for two minutes ; then rinse 
in cold water ; or wet the stain with hartshorn. 

Ink Stains. — Ink stains may sometimes be taken out by smearing with 
hot tallow, left on when the stained articles go to the wash. 

How^ to take Marking-Ink out of Linen. — A saturated solution of 
cyanuret of potassium, applied with a camel's-hair brush. After the marking- 
ink disappears, the linen should be well-washed in cold water. 

Ink in Cotton, Silk, and Woolen Goods. — Saturate the spots with 
spirits of turpentine, and let it remain several hours ; then rub it between 
the hands. I will crumple away, without injuring either the color or the 
texture of the article. 

Ink Stains on Mahogany. — Put a few drops of spirits of niter in a tea- 
spoonful of water, touch the spot with a feather dipped in the mixture, and 
when the ink disappears, rub it over at once with a rag dipped in cold water, 
or there will be a white mark not easily effaced. 

Ink Stains on Silver — The tops and other portions of silver ink-stands 
frequently become deeply discolored with ink, which is difficult to remove by 
ordinary means. It may, however, be completely eradicated by making a 



Removing Stains. 331 

little chloride of lime into a paste with water, and rubbing it upon the stains. 
Chloride of lime has been misnamed " the general bleacher," but it is a foul 
enemy to all metallic surfaces. 

Ink and Iron Mould. — This may be taken out by wetting the spots in 
milk, then covering them with common salt. It should be done before the 
garment has h^nx washed. Another way to take out ink, is to dip it in 
melted tallow. For fine, delicate articles, this is the best way. 

How to Remove Stains from Floors. — For removing spots of grease 
from boards, take equal parts of fuller's-earth and pearl-ash, a quarter of a 
pound of each, and boil in a quart of soft water, and, while hot, lay it on 
the greased parts, allowing it to remain on them for ten or twelve hours ; 
after which it may be scoured off with sand and water. A floor much spot- 
ted with grease should be completely washed over with thi« mixture the day 
before it is scoured. Fuller's-earth or ox-gall boiled together, form a very pow- 
erful cleansing mixture for floors or carpets. Stains of ink are removed by 
strong vinegar, or salts of lemon will remove them. 

To Preserve Steel Goods from Rust. — After bright grates have been 
thoroughly cleaned, they should be dusted over with unslaked lime, and thus 
left until wanted. All the coils of piano-wires are thus sprinkled, and will keep 
from rust for many years. Table-knives, which are not in constant use, ought 
to be put in a case in which sifted quick-lime is placed, about eight inches 
deep. They should be plunged to the top of the blades, but the lime should 
not touch the handles. 

To Remove Paint Stains on Windows. — It frequently happens that 
painters splash the plate or other glass windows when they are painting the 
sills. When this is the case, melt some soda in very hot water and wash 
them with it, using a soft flannel. It will entirely remove the paint. 

Stains on the Hands. — A few drops of oil vitriol (sulphuric acid) in 
water, will take the stains of fruit, dark dyes, stove blacking, etc., from the 
hands without injuring them. Care must, however, be taken not to drop it 
upon the clothes. It will remove the color from woolen, and eat holes in 
cotton fabrics. 

To remove ink or fruit stains from the fingers, take cream of tartar, half 
an ounce ; powdered salt of sorrel, half an ounce ; mix. This is what is sold 
for salts of lemon. 

To Preserve Polished Iron Work. — Such work may be preserved from 
rust by a mixture, not very expensive, consisting of copal varnish mixed with 
as much olive oil as will give it a degree of greasiness, adding nearly as much 
spirits of turpentine as of varnish. 

If Rust has made its appearance upon grates or fire-irons, apply a mix- 
ture of tripoli, with half its quantity of sulphur, mixed on a marble slab, 



332 Home Economics. 

and laid on with a piece of soft leather. Emory and oil may be applied wit): 
»n excellent effect. This will not only clean but polish. 

To Extract Grease Spots from Books. — Gently tmrni the greased or 
spottei part of the book or paper, and then press upon it pieces of blotting- 
paper, one after another, so as to absorb as much of the grease as possible. 
Have ready some fine, clear, essential oil of turpentine heated almost to a 
boiling state, wai'm the greased leaf a little, and then with a soft, clean brush, 
apply the heated turpentine both sides of the spotted part. By repeating this 
application, the grease will be extracted. Lastly, with another brush, dipped 
in rectified spirits of wine, go over the place carefully, until the paper be- 
comes smooth and clean. 

Removing Tar Spots. — The old remedy for removing tar is butter ; tar 
is soluble in fat, and especially in butter ; when this is left on the tar-spot for 
some time, both butter and tar are easily washed out by a sponge, with soap 
and water. It is the same with resinous wagon-grease, A creamy mixture 
of powdered extract of liquorice, with oil of anise-seed, will easily dissolve 
tar, resin, pitch, Yenice turpentine, etc. It is afterward washed out with 
soap and warm water. 

Ammonia for 'Renovation. — Keep constantly in the house some strong 
spirits of hartshorn in a ground-glass stoppered bottle. A teaspoonful in a 
tablespoonful of water will clean combs and brushes. 

In any case where an acid has taken the color from a fabric, ammonia will 
restore it. Washing a carpet in ammonia-water — say a tablespoonful of 
concentrated ammonia to a quart of warm suds — will take almost any stain 
out of it. 

In cleaning paint, glass, silver, or gold, it is invaluable, as well as for keeping 
the hands soft and white after cleaning all these other things. 

For cleaning windows, put a teaspoonful of strong ammonia in a half pint 
of clear warm water, wring a cloth out, and rub sashes and glass, then rub 
with a dry cloth. 

Stains, pencil-marks, fly-specks, and all manner of dirt, disappear under 
the ammonia treatment, with no injury to paint or varnish if not used too 
strong. 

Removing Grease from Silk. — Apply a little magnesia to the wrong 
side, and the spots will disappear. 

To Remove Grease from Coat Collars. — Wash with a sponge moist- 
ened with hartshorn and water. 

To Restore Crape. — A bit of glue dissolved in skim-milk will restore 

crape. Ribbons of every kind should be washed in cold suds, and not rinsed. 

To Clean Furs. — Shake and whip them well ; then brush ; boil some 



1 



RcTTioving Stains. 333 

flax-seed ; dip a rag in the water and wipe them slightly. This makes them 
look nearly as good as new. 

To Preserve Furs. — First, hang them out in the sun for a day or two ; 
then give them a good beating and shaking-up, to be sure no moth is in them 
already. Then wrap up a lump of camphor in a rag, and place in each ; then 
wrai ui each in a sound newspaper and paste together, so that there is no 
hole or ere rice through which a moth can gain entrance. 

To Clean Velvet. — Wet a cloth and put it over a hot flat-iron, and a 
dry one over that, then draw the velvet across it, brushing it at the same 
time with a soft brush, and it will look as nice as new. 

To Restore Silk. — The best method to make old silk look like new, and 
one that is employed by millions, is to sponge over the outside with strong, 
cold black tea. The silk should afterward be ironed outside. 

Wrinkled Silk may be rendered nearly as beautiful as when new, by 
sponging the surface with a weak solution of gum-arabic or white glue ; then 
iron on the wrong side. 

To Bleach White Silks or Flannels. — Wash the articles clean, rinse 
in suds, and smoke with brimstone while wet ; the silk must be brushed or 
washed with a sponge ; if rubbed it will never press smoothly ; expose the 
goods to the air, and the odor will soon pass off. 

To Clean White Ostrich Feathers. — Wash them well in soft water 
with white soap and blue, if you can get the blue ; if not, use the white soap 
alone ; rub them through white, clean paper, beat them on the paper, shake 
them before the fire, dry them in the air by waving them with the hand to 
and fro. Afterward curl them. 

To Clean Feathers. — Dissolve four ounces of white soap, cut small, in 
frur pounds of water, moderately hot, in a basin, and make the solution into 
a lather by beating with a small rod. Then introduce the feathers, and rub 
them well with the hands for five minutes. They are next to be washed in 
clean water as hot as the hand can bear it. 

To Make Cloth Water-proof. — In a pail of soft water put half a 
pound of sugar of lead, half a pound of alum ; stir this at intervals until it 
becomes cool; then pour it into another pail and put the garment thereiix, 
and let it be in for twenty-four hours, and then hang it up to dry without 
wringing it. 

To Clean Black Cloth. — Dissolve one ounce of bicarbonate jf ammo- 
nia in one quart of warm water. With this liquid rub the cloth, using a piece 
of flannel or black cloth for the purpose. After the application of this solu- 
tion, clean the cloth well with clear water, dry and iron it, brushing the cloth 
from time to time in the direction of the fiber. 



334 Home Economics. 

Cleaning Silk and Merinos. — Grate two or three large potatoes, add 
to them a pint of cold water, let them stand a short time, pour off the liquid, 
clear, or strain it through a sieve, when it will be ready for use. Lay the 
silk on a flat surface, and apply the liquid with a clean sponge till the dirt is 
well separated ; dip each piece in a pail of clear water, and hang up to dry 
without wringing. Iron, while damp, on the wrong side. 

To Color Kid Gloves. — Put a handful of logwood into a bowl, cover 
with alcohol, and let it soak until it looks strong — one day, perhaps. Put 
one glove on the hand, dip a small woolen cloth or sponge into the liquid, wet 
the glove all over, rub it dry and hard until it sif'nes, and it will be a nice 
purple. Repeat the process, and it will be black. 

To Clean Kid Gloves. — Have ready a little new milk in one saucer, a 
piece of white soap in another, a clean cloth folded two or three times. On 
the cloth lay out the glove smooth and neat. Take a piece of flannel, dip it 
in the milk, then rub off a good quantity of soap on the wetted flannel, and 
commence to rub the glove toward the fingers, holding it firmly with the left 
hand. Continue this process imtil the glove, if white, looks of a dingy yel- 
low, though clean ; if colored, till it looks dry and spoiled. Lay it to dry, 
and the operator will soon be gratified to see that the old glove looks nearly 
new. It will be soft, glossy, smooth, and elastic. 

Washing Fid Gloves. — First, see that your hands are clean, then put 
on your gloves, and wash them as though you were washing your hands, in a 
basin of spirits of turpentine. This method is used in Paris. The gloves 
should be hung in tbe air, or some dry place, to carry away the smell of tur- 
pentine. 

To Extract Grease from Papered Walls. — Dip a piece of flannel in 
spirits of wine and rub the greasy spots gently once or twice. 

To Clean Wall-Paper. — Tie a soft cloth over a broom, and sweep down 
the walls carefully. 



« 



WHITEWASHING AND PAINTING. 

Cracks in Plastering. — In some cases the plasterer has used too little 
real plaster and too much lime. Pure plaster of Paris will never crack ; but 
as it sets too quickly for the convenience of the operator, a Uttle lime is mixed 
with it. If you try to plaster with lime alone, it will crack all over in drying, 
and come off in patches. This indicates the necessity of always using as lit- 
tle lime as possible, either in the sand used for brick-laying or m the plaster 
used for coating the walls. 

To Fill Holes in Walls. — Small holes in white walls can easily be re- 
paired without sending for a mason. Equal parts of plaster of Paris and 






Whitewashing cmd Painting. 335 

tvhite saud, such as is used in most families for scouring purposes, mixed 
with water to a paste, applied immediately after removing the loose particles 
of the walls, and smoothed with a knife or flat piece of wood, will make the 
broken place as good as new. As the mixture hardens very quickly, it is beat 
to prepare but a small quantity at a time. 

Brilliant Zinc Whitewash. — The Manufacturer and Builder says: 
" Mix oxide of zinc with common sizing, and apply it with a whitewash brush 
to the ceiling. After this apply in the same manner a wash of the chloride 
of zinc, which will combine with the oxide to form a smooth cement with a 
shining face." 

Cheap Whitewash. — Slake the lime as usual, except that the water used 
should be hot, and nearly saturated with salt; then stir in four handfuls of 
tine sand, to make it thick like cream. Coloring matter can be added to both, 
making a light stone-color, a cream-color, or a light buff. 

Making Paper Stick to Whitewashed Walls. — Make a sizing of 
common glue and water, of the consistency of linseed oil, and apply with 
whitewash or other brush to the wall, taking care to go over every part, and 
especially top and bottom. Apply the paper in the ordinary way. 

New Recipe for Whitewash. — The following recipe for whitewashing 
has been found by experience to answer on wood, brick, and stone, nearly as 
well as oil-paint, and is much cheaper: Slake half a bushel of unslaked 
lime with boiling water, keeping it covered during the process. Strain it and 
add a peck of salt, dissolved in warm water ; three pounds of ground rice 
put in boiling water, and boiled to a thin paste ; half a pound of powdered 
Spanish whiting, and a pound of clear glue, dissolved in warm water; mix 
these well together, and let the mixture stand for several days. Keep the 
wash thus prepared in a kettle or portable furnace, and when used put it on 
as hot as possible, with a painters' or whitewash brush. 

A Brilliant Stucco Whitewash. — Take clean lumps of well-burnt lime, 
slake in hot water in a small tub, and cover it to keep in the steam. It 
should then be passed through a fine sieve in a fluid form to obtain the flour 
of lime. Add a quarter of a pound of whiting or burnt alum, two pounds 
of sugar, three pints of rice-flour made into a thin and well-boiled paste, and 
one pound of glue dissolved over a slow fire. It is said to be more brilUant 
than plaster of Paris, and will last fifty years. It should be put on warm 
with a paint brush. 

To Color and Prevent Whitewash from Rubbing OflF. — Alum is one 
of the best additions to make whitewash of lime which will not rub off. 
When powdered chalk is used, glue-water is also good, but would not do for 
outside work exposed to much rain. Give it the desired color by small qiian- 
tities of lamp-black, brown sienna, ocher, or other coloring material. 



336 Home Economics. 

Paint for Eitcnen Walls. — Paint on the walls of a kitchen is much better 
than kalsomine, whitewash, or paper, since it does not absorb odors or peel 
ofif, and can be quickly and perfectly cleaned. Any woman who can white- 
wash can paint her own kitchen. The wall needs first to be washed with 
soapsuds, then covered with a coat of dissolved glue, and then with paint. 
A broad, flat brush does the work quickly. 

Fire and Water-Proof Paint. — Slake stone lime by putting into a tub, 
covered to keep in the steam ; when slaked pass the powder through a fine 
sieve, and to every six quarts add a quart of rock salt and a gallon of water ; 
then boil and skim clear ; to every five gallons of liquid add pulverized alum, 
one pound ; pulverized copperas, one half pound, and stir slowly ; add pow- 
dered potash, three fourths pound ; very fine sand, or hickory ashes, four 
pounds ; then use any coloring matter desired, and apply with a brush. It 
looks better than any ordinary paint, and is as durable as slate; will stop 
small leaks in roofs, prevent moss from growing thereon, make it incombusti- 
ble, and render brick impervious to water. 



POLISHING FURNITURE. 

Best French Naphtha Polish. — Solution of shellac three poimds, and of 
wood naphtha three quarts. 

Best French Spirit Polish. — Shellac, two pounds; powdered mastic 
and sandarac, of each one ounce ; copal varnish, half a pint ; spirits of wine, 
one gallon. Mix in the cold till dissolved. 

Polish or Mahogany Color. — Two ounces of beeswax, cut fine ; spirits 
of turpentine, one ounce ; one dram of powdered resin ; melt at a gentle heat, 
and add two drams of Indian red to give it a mahogany color. 

Simplest Polish for Oiled Furniture. — Rub oiled furniture with a 
woolen cloth saturated slightly with oil. 

Oil for Red Furniture. — Take linseed oil, put it into a glazed pipkin 
with as much alkanet root as it will cover. Let it boil gently, and it will 
become of a strong red color ; when cool it will be fit for use. 

Polish of Oil and Alcohol. — One pint of linseed oil, one wine-glass of 
alcohol; mix well together; apply to the cloth with a linen rag; rub dry 
with a soft cotton cloth, and polish with a silk cloth. Furniture is improved 
by washing it occasionally with soap-suds. Wipe dry and rub over with a 
very little linseed oil upon a clean sponge or flannel. Wipe polished furni- 
ture with silk. 

Polish for Leather Cushions, etc. — Beat well the yelks of two eggs 
and the white of one ; mix a tablespoonful of gin and a teaspoonful of sugar 



PolisJiing Furniture. 337 

thicken it with ivory black, add it to the eggs, and use as common blacking ; 
the seats or cushions being left a day or two to harden. This is good for 
dressing boots and shoes. 

To Give a Fine Color to Cherry-Tree Wood. — Take one ounce of 
orchanetta ; cut it in two or three bits, and put it to soak for forty-eight 
hours in three ounces of good olive oil. With this oil anoint your cherry- 
tree wood after it is worked and shaped as you intend it, and it will give it a 
fine luster. 

To Stain Black Walnut. — To impart to common pine the color and ap- 
pearance of black walnut the following composition may be used : One quar- 
ter of a pound of asphaltum, one half a pound of beeswax, to one gallon of 
turpentine. If found too thin, add beeswax ; if too light in color, add as- 
phaltum, though that must be done with caution, as a very little will make a 
great difference in the shade, and black walnut is not what its name implies, 
but rather a rich dark brown. Varnishing is not essential, as the wax gives 
it a good gloss. 

Imitation Ebony Stain. — Mix up a strong stain of copperas and extract 
of logwood, about equal parts ; add powdered nut galls, one-fourth part ; stain 
wood with solution, dry, rub down well, oil ; then use French polish made 
tolerably dark with indigo or finely-powdered stone blue. 

To EboMize Various Woods. — Apple, pear, and walnut wood, especially 
if fine-grained, may be " ebonized " by the following process : Boil in a glazed 
vessel, with water, four ounces of gall-nuts, one ounce of logwood chips, half 
an ounce of vitriol, and a half an ounce of crystallized verdigris ; filter while 
warm, and brush the wood with the hot solution a number of times. The 
wood, thus stained black, is then to be coated two or three times (being 
allowed to dry completely after each coating) with a solution of one ounce of 
iron filings in a quart of good wine vinegar. This is to be prepared hot and 
allowed to cool before use. 

Water and Varnished Furniture. — Water should never be applied to 
varnished furniture, but the slats of bedsteads can be washed and dried, and 
kerosene applied to the ends or joints of the bedsteads. Varnished furniture 
should be cleaned with a woolen cloth dipped in linseed oil. 

Cleansing Polish for Furniture. — Cold drawn linseed oil, one quart; 
gin or spirits of wine, half a pint ; vinegar, half a pint ; butter of antimony, 
two ounces ; spirits of turpentine, half a pint ; this mixture requires to be 
well shaken before it is used, A little of it is then to be poured upon a rub- 
ber, which must be well applied to the surface of the furniture. Several ap- 
plications will be necessary for new furniture, or for such as has previously 
been French polished or rubbed with beeswax. 



338 Home Economics. 



I 



Where and How to Varnish. — Varnish should alwa} s be appUed in a 
warm room, as warm as a person can work in comfortably. At a lower tem- 
perature there is always moisture in the air, and an invisible dew, which givt 8 
the varnish a milky and cloudy appearance. This will happen even on a fine 
summer day, and the only preventive is to employ artificial heat to produce 
a temperature of at least seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit. At this tempera- 
ture the moisture is not precipitated until the alcohol of the varnish has suf- 
ficiently evaporated to leave a thin and smooth film of shellac. The gloss 
and durability are entirely dependent upon this. 

Varnish for Unpainted Wood. — A good surface may be produced on 
unpainted wood by the following treatment : Sand-paper the wood thoroughly 
as for French polishing, size it, and lay on a coat of varnish, very thin, with 
a piece of sponge or wadding covered with a piece of linen rag. When dry, 
rub down with pumice dust, and apply a second coat of varnish. Three 
or four coats should produce a surface almost equal to French polish, if the 
varnish is good and the pumice be well applied between each coat. The 
use of a sponge or wadding instead of a brush, aids in preventing the 
streaky appearance usually caused by a brush in the hands of an unskilled 
person. 

Blacking for Stoves. — May be made with half a pound of black lead 
finely powdered, mixed with the whites of three eggs well beaten ; then dilute 
it with sour beer or porter till it becomes as thin as shoe-blacking ; after stir- 
ring it, set it over hot coals to simmer for twenty minutes ; when cold it may 
be kept for use. 

Brunswick Black for Varnishing Grates. — Melt four pounds of com- 
mon asphaltum, and add two pints of linseed oil and one gallon of oil of tur- 
pentine. This preparation is usually put up in stone-ware bottles for 
sale, and is used with a paint brush. If too thick, more turpentine may be 
added. 

To Clean Bronzed Chandeliers, Lamps, etc. — These articles should 
only be dusted with a feather brush, or soft cloth, as washing will take rfi 
the bronzing. 

For Cleaning Brasses Belonging to Mahogany Furniture. — Use for 

this purpose, either powdered whiting or scraped rotten-stone, mixed with 
Bweet-oil, and rubbed on with a chamois-skin. 

To Clean Sinks. — Copperas, dissolved in boiling-water and applied with 
a whisk-broom, is good for cleaning iron sinks and drains. For zinc, take one 
fourth muriatic acid and three fourths water, thickened with whiting and ap- 
plied with a cloth. Scour well with this mixture and then wash with warm 
water. 



Articha for the Toilet. 339 

ARTICLES FOR THE TOILET. 

Rose Oil. — Put any quantity of dried rose-leaves into an earthenware 
pipkin, cover them with olive-oil, and keep hot for some hours. The oil will 
extract both odor and color. 

Cologne Water. — A very fair article, that will improve with age, may be 
made us fol.ows : One pint of alcohol, add twelve drops each of oils of ber- 
gamot, lemon, neroli, orange-peel, rosemary, and one dram of cardamom seed. 

Another recipe : One pint of alcohol, sixty drops of lavender, sixty drops 
of bergamot, sixty drops of essence of lemon, sixty drops of orange-water. 
To be corked up and well shaken. This also is better for considerable age. 

To Wash Hair Brushes. — Hair brushes, however dirty, may be washed 
and kept good for years, without loss of stiffness, by putting a small handful 
of soda into a pint jug of boiling water When the soda is melted, put in 
the brush and stir it about till clean. Rinse it in cold water, and dry in the 
sun or by the fire. The quicker it dries, the harder the bristles will be. 

A Paste for Sharpening Razors. — Take prepared putty one ounce, 
saturated solution of oxalic acid enough to make a paste; this composition 
is to be rubbed over the strop, and when dry, a little water may be added. 
The acid having a great attachment for iron, a little friction with this pow- 
der gives a fine edge to the razor. 

Shaving Gream. — Take one pound of soft-soap in a jar ; add to it one 
quart best alcohol ; set the jar in a vessel of boiling water until the soap is 
dissolved. Perfume with essential oil to suit. This is a good article for 
shaving, especially for those troubled with pimples on the face. Two or three 
drops rubbed on the face with the end of the finger is enough for shaving. 
Dip the end of the brush in a little hot water, brush the face briskly, and it 
will raise a rich lather. 

To Curl Hair. — Take two ounces of borax, one dram of powdered gum 
Senegal, one quart of hot water, (not boiling ; ) mix, and as soon as the in- 
gredients are dissolved, add two ounces of spirits of wine strongly impreg- 
nated with camphor ; on retiring to rest, wet the hair with the above mixture 
and roll it in papers as usual ; leave them till morning, when untwist and 
form into ringlets. 

To Remove Tight Rings. — To remove tightly-fitting rings from a finger 
without pain, (says the London Lancet,) pass the end of a portion of rather 
fine twine underneath the ring, and evenly encircle the finger from below up- 
ward ( as whip-makers bind lashes on) with the remainder, as far as the cen- 
ter of the finger, then unwind the string from above downward by taking 
hold of the end passed under the ring, and it will be found that the ring will 
gradually pass along the twine toward the tip of the finger. 



340 Home Economics. 

Rose Lip-Salve. — No. 1. Oil of almonds, three ounces; alkauot, half an 
ounce. Let them stand together in a warm place until the oil is colored, then 
strain. Melt one ounce and a half of white wax, and half an ounce of sperm- 
aceti with the oil, stir till it begins to thicken, and add twelve drops of 
attar of roses. No. 2. White wax, one ounce ; almond oil, two ounces ; alka- 
net, one dram. Digest in a warm place till sufficiently colored. Strain, and 
stir in six drops of attar of roses.* 



BIRDS AND BIRD-FOOD. 

To Distinguish Canaries. — To distinguish the male bird from the hen, 
observe the bird when it is singing, and if it be a cock you will perceive the 
throat heaving with a pulse-like motion, a peculiarity which is scarcely per- 
ceptible in the hen. 

Place for Cages. — Place the cages so that no draught of air will strike 
them. Avoid placing them near the stove, fire-place, or register. About 
half way between the floor and the ceiling is best, as the temperature there 
is preferable. The room should never be heated above seventy degrees. 

Size of Cage Perches. — Very many mean to give their birds all things 
needed to make them bright and happy, and at the same time are guilty 
of great cruelty in regard to perches. The perches in a cage should be 
each one of different size, and the smallest as large as a pipe-stem. If 
perches are of the right sort, no trouble is ever had about the bird's claws 
growing too long ; and of all things keep the perches clean. 

Food for Canary Birds. — Give nothing to healthy birds but rape and 
canary seed, water, cuttle-fish bone, and gravel-paper or sand on the floor of 
the cage, no hemp-seed, and a bath three times a week. When moulting 
(shedding feathers) keep warm ; avoid all draughts of air. Give plenty of 
German rape-seed ; a little hard-boiled egg, mixed with crackers grated fine, 
is excellent. Feed at a certain hour in the morning. By observing these 
simple rules, birds may be kept in fine condition for years. For birds that are 
sick or have lost their song, procure bird-tonic at a bird-store. 

Care of Young Canaries. — Feed young canaries with white and yelk of 
hard eggs, mixed together with a little bread steeped in water. This should 
be pressed and placed in one vessel, while in another should be put some 
boiled rape-seed, washed in fresh water. Change the food every day. When 
they are a month old, put them in separate cages. 

♦ For other articles for the toilet consult previous chapters on health. 



Birds (md Bird-food. 341 

Parasites upon Canaries. — The red mite, a minute insect, almost in- 
visible to the naked eye, but easily seen through the microscope, is found in 
large numbers in nearly all the cages containing canaries, particularly those 
which are kept in dark rooms away from the light. These tiny creatures 
shun the liglit, and generally leave the birds during the day, concealing them- 
selves in the cracks and crevices of the cage until darkness arrives, when 
they sally forth to attack the canaries. By continually irritating them, they 
cause a loss of sleep which occasions many diseases and very often is the 
source of their death. 

How to Destroy these Parasites. — The presence of these insects is indi- 
cated by the uneasy manner the birds exhibit, becoming dispirited, and sit- 
ting in a drooping position on the perches or on the ground. It is difficult 
to get rid of them. A plan simple and effectual is to place in the cage a 
hollow reed with three or four gimlet holes along it, as a substitute for the 
ordinary perch. The mites hide in the reed with the return of light, and 
can be readily shaken from it. In a short time the insects can all be de- 
stroyed by this easy process. 

Food for Mocking-Birds. — 1. One medium-sized boiled potato (without 
salt) and the yelk of one hard-boiled egg, chopped together very fine when 
warm. In cold weather this may last two days, but in summer should be 
made fresh daily. 

2. Ground or bruised hemp-seed, sixteen ounces ; ground or bruised rice, 
four ounces ; dust of butter crackers, eight ounces ; flax-seed meal, two 
ounces ; mix and put in a pan with two ounces of lard, and cook until it has 
a brown color, stirring with a spoon to "keep it from sticking or getting 
into lumps. One or two tablespoonfuls a day, with grated carrot, is 
sufficient.* 

To Distinguish Thrushes — Food. — The male bird may be distinguished 
from a hen by a darker back and the more glossy appearance of the feathers. 
The breast also is white. Their natural food is insects, worms, and snails. 
In a domesticated state they will eat raw meat, but snails and worms should 
be procured for them. 

Care of Young Thrushes. — Young birds are hatched about the middle 
of April, and should be kept very warm. They should be fed with raw 
meat, out small, or bread mixed in milk with hemp-seed well bruised ; when 
they can feed themselves give them lean meat cut small, and mixed with 
bread or German paste, plenty of clean water, and keep them in a warm, 
dry, and sunny situation. 

Food of Bullfinches. — Old birds should be fed with German paste, and 

♦ Foi'Mt and Stream. 



842 Home Economics. 

occasionally rape-seed. The Germans occasionally give them a little poppy- 
seed, and a grain or two of rice, steeped in Canary wine, when teaching them 
to pipe, as a reward for the progress they make. Bird-organs, or flageolets, 
are used to teach them to sing. 

Care of Young Bullfinches. — Bullfinches breed three or four tiuies a 
year. The young require to be kept very warm, and to be fed every two 
hours, with rape-seed, soaked for several hours in cold water, afterward 
scalded and strained, bruised, mixed with bread, and moistened with milk. 
One, two, or three mouthfuls at a time. 

Linnets and their Food. — Male birds are browner on the back than the 
hens, and have some of the large feathers of the wings wliite up to the 
quills. Canary and hemp-seed, with occasionally a little groundsel, water- 
cress, chickweed, etc., constitute their food. 

Blackbirds and their Food. — The cock-bird is of a deep black, with a 
yellow bill. The female is dark brown. It is difficult to distinguish male 
from female birds when young ; but the darkest generally are males. Their 
food consists of German paste, bread, meat, and bits of apple. The same 
treatment as given for the thrush applies to the blackbird. . 

To Distinguish Skylarks. — The male bird is recognized by the largeness 
of his eye, the length of his claws, the mode of erecting his crest, and by 
marks of white in the tail. It is also a larger bird than the hen. 

The Cages of Skylarks. — The cage should be of the following propor- 
tions : Length, one foot five inches ; width, nine inches ; height, one foot 
three inches. There should be a circular projection in front, to admit of a 
fresh turf being placed every two or three days, and the bottom of the cage 
should be plentifully and constantly sprinkled with river sand. All vessels 
containing food should be placed outside, and the top of the cage should 
be arched and padded, so that the bird may not injure itself by jumping 
about. 

Food of Skylarks. — Their food, in a natural state, consists of seeds, 
insects, and also buds, green herbage, as clover, endive, lettuce, etc., and oc- 
casionally berries. When coufined, they are usually fed with a paste made 
in the following manner : Take a portion of bread, well-baked and stale, put 
it into fresh water, and leave it until quite soaked through, then squeeze 
out the water and pour boiled milk over it, adding two-thirds of the same 
quantity of barley-meal well sifted, or, what is better, wheat-meal. This 
should be made fresh every two days. Occasionally the yelk of a hard- 
boiled egg should be crumbled small and given to the birds, as well as a 
little hemp-seed, meal-worms, and elderberries. Great cleanliness should 
be observed in the cages of these birds. 



Rules for Carving. 343 

RULES FOR CARVING. 

Carving Knives. — These should always " be put in edge " before the 
guests are called to the table. Let them be light as well as sharp. Dispense 
if possible with the " steel " after the guests are seated. However closely 
the guests are compelled to sit, give the carver plenty of room. 

Carving Dishes. — Joints which require carving sliould be placed on 
plates of ample size, and the dish should be so placed as to give the oper- 
atoi' complete command over the joint. 

To Carve a Fowl. — To carve a fowl (which should always be laid with 
the breast uppermost) place the fork in the breast, and take off the wings 
and legs without turning the fowl ; then cut out the '* merry-thought," cut 
slices from the breast, take out the collar bone, cut off the side pieces, and 
then cut the carcass in two. Divide the joints in the legs of a turkey. 

To Carve a Fillet. — To carve a fillet of veal, begin at the top, and 
help to the stuffing with each slice. In a breast of veal separate the breast 
and brisket, and then cut them up, asking which part is preferred. 

To Carve a Round of Beef. — First cut away the irregular outside 
pieces, to obtain a good surface, and then serve thin and broad slices. 
Serve bits of the udder fat with the lean. 

To Carve a Sirloin. — In carving a sirloin, cut thin slices from the side 
next to you, (it must be put on the dish with the tenderloin underneath,) 
then turn it, and cut from the tenderloin. Help the guests to both kinds. 

To Carve a Leg. — In carving a leg of mutton or a ham, begin by 
cutting across the middle to the bone. Cut a tongue across, not lengthwise, 
and help from the middle part. 

To Carve a Pig. — In carving a pig it is customary to divide it and 
take off the head before it comes to the table, as to many persons the head 
is revolting. Cut off the limbs and divide the ribs. The ribs are considered 
very choice. 

To Carve a Calve's Head. — Carve across the cheek, and take pieces 
from any part that is easily reached. The tongue and brain-sauce are served 
separate. 

To Carve a Saddle of Mutton.— Cut thin slices parallel with the back- 
Ijone ; or slice it obliquely from the bone to the edge. Saddles of pork or 
lamb are carved in the same manner. 

To Carve a Spare-Rib. — A spare-rib of pork is carved by separating 
the chops, which should previously have been jointed. Cut as far as the 
joint, then return the knife to the point of tlie bones, and press over to dis- 



844 



Home Economics. 



close the joiut, whicli may tlieii be relieved wiih the point of the knife. 
Hams are cut in very thin slices from the knuckle to the blade. 

To Carve Fish. — Fish are served with a fish-slice, or the new fish-knife 
and fork, and requires very little carving, care being required, however, not 
to break the flakes, which from their size add much to the beauty of cod 
and salmon. Serve part of the roe, milk, or liver to eacli person. The 
heads of cod and salmon, sounds of cod, are likewise considered delicacies. 



ILLUSTRATIONS ON CARVING- ADDITIONAL NOTES. 




wBi^iM or taer. 



BODHD. OB BOMKO UBS, OP BEET. 



UTCSBOKE or B£EF* 




Notes.— The dotted lines above, in connection witli the previous directions, explain 
themselves. Some carvers cut the top of the sirloin of beef from C to D ; but this is a 
wasteful method ; the one from E to F is to be preferred ; in case of the under piece 
(the tenderloin) the cross line only should be observed. Cut the aitchbone of beef from 
A to B, slicing "thin " from top to bottom. In carving the fillets, slice round from the 
top. The numerals in the seventh illustration show the method of cuttmg up and 
designating the carcass of veal, thus: Hi)Hl-qtiarter: 1. Loin, prime joint; 2. Chnmp 
end of loin, roasts or cutlets; 3. Fillet, best cutlets: 4. Hind knuckle, for boiling or 
stewing; 10. Flank, for stews. Fore-quarler : 5. Fore knuckle; 6. Neck, best end of 
neck; 7. Shoulder, roasting; 8. Bladebone, roasting; 9. Breast, braized or stew; 
11. Head, eaten in various ways. 



Roasting and Carving Poultry and Game Birds. 



ROASTING AND CARVING POULTRY AND GAME BIRDS. 

Ducks are carved very much as turkeys, geese, and other fowls. If the 
bird be a young duckling it may be carved like a fov^^l, namely, by first 
taking off the leg and wing on either side; but in cases where the duckling 
is very small it will be as well not to separate the leg fiom the wing, as 
they will not then form too large a portion for a single serving. After the 
legs and wings are disposed of the remainder of the duck will be also 




IIOA5I TURtET. 



Note. — In the roast turkey, G, C, D, show place of the "Merrythought," which can 
be easily removed ; in the goose. A, A, A, the hue for the knife In severing the apron 
covering the stuffing. By a little care all the other parts may also be readily dis- 
juinted and removed. 

carved in the same manner as a fowl, and not much difficuliy will be ex- 
perienced, as ducklings are tender, and the joints are easily broken by a little 
forcing, or penetrating by the knife. In cases where the duck is a large 
bird the better plan to pursue is tlien to carve it like a goose. As to the 
prime parts of a duck, it has been snid that the " wings of a flyer and the 
legs of a swimmer" are severally the best portions. 



3.t6 



Home Economics. 



1 



CARVING FISH-ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Salmon. — Run the knife along tlie side of the fish from A to B and 
C lo D. Then lielp the tliick p;irt lengthwise from A to B and the thin 
part breadthwise from E to F, supplyuig each person with a piece of each. 
The thin part is from the belly, where lies the fat and rich piece of the fish. 

Mackerel. — Run the knife sidewise from C to B down the backbone so 
as as to divide the fish into halves ; remove the backbone neatly without 




SALMON. 



MACKEREL. COD'S HEAD AND SHOULDER. 



breaking the flakes, then crosscut at A, A, and C, C, and as needed at in- 
termediate placos. Be careful not to leave any of the choice and delicate 
bits on the backbone, as that would be regarded as a real loss. 

Cod's Head and Shoulder. — Run the k«ife as indicated, and bear in 
mind the fact that lovers of the cod regard the parts around the head as the 
greatest delicacies of that fish. 




THE DINNB« TABIS. 



CuUiiig V^ Beef, 



347 




HIND QUARTER OP BEEP. 



BOSTON. 


NEW VORK. 


PHILADELPHIA. 


1. Tip end of sirloin. 


First cut of ribs. 


First cut of ribs. 


». Second cut of sirloin. 


Porterhouse steak or sirloin roast. 


Sirloin roast or steak. 


3. First cut of sirloin. 


Fiat-boned sirloin steak or roast. 


Sirloin roast or steak. 


4. Back of rump. 


i {a) Large sirloin 


Hip roast; also rump steak. 


5. Middle of rump. 


< (a) steaks or 


Middle of rump. 


6^ Face of rumpu 


' roasts. 


Face of rump. 


7. Aitchbone. 


Aitchbone. 


Tail end of rump. 


8. Best round steak. 


(and4^and 5^) Rump steak or roasts. 


Best round steak. 


9. Poorer round steak. 


(and I2c) Round steak. 


Poorer round steak. 


i& Best pan of vein. 


Best pan of vein. 


Best pan of vein. 


11. Poorer part of vein. 


Poorer part of vein. 


Poorer pan of vein. 


13. Shank of round. 


{d) Leg of beef. 


Leg 


IJ. Flank. 


(f) Flank. 


U) Flaak. 




I. First cut of ribs. 
t. Sc-cond cut of ribs. 
3, Third cm of ribs. 
<and 5. Best chuck ribs. 

6 and 7. Poorer chuck ribs. 

8. Neck piece. 

9. Rattle-raa 

to. Shoulder of muttoOk 

II. Slicking piece. 

11. Middle cut or rib plate. 
\y. Navel eitd of bruiket. 

14. Brisket piece. 

15. Shin, thick end of brisket, part 
'. of sticking pitce. 



First cut of ribs, with lip o( sirloin. 

Second cut of ribs. 

Third cut of ribs. 

Best chuck ribs. 

Poorer chuck ribs. 

Neck piece* 

Plate piece. 

[ Shoulder.of mutton. 

> Navel end of brisket. 

Brisket piece. 

Shin and thick end of brisket. 



First cut of ribs, with tip of tirloio. 

Second cut of .ribs. 

Third cut of ribs. 

best chuck ribs. 

Poorer chuck ribs. 

Neck chuck. 

Plate piece. 

i Shoulder of multOD or bolef piece. 
Sticking piece. 

Navel end of brisket 

Brisket piece. 

Shin and thick end of brisket. 



348 Home Economics. 



PASTE AND CEMENTS. 

Rice Flour Cement. — This cement, much used in China and Japan, is 
made by mixing fine rice-flour with cold water, and simmering over a slow 
fire until a thick paste is formed. This is superior to any other paste either 
for parlor or workshop purposes. When made of the consistence of plaster, 
clay models, busts, bass-reliefs, etc., may be formed of it, and the articles 
when dry, are susceptible of high polish, and very durable. 

Paste that ■will Keep a Year. — Dissolve a teaspoonful of alum in a 
quart of warm water. When cold, stir in flour to give it the consistency of 
thick cream, being particular to beat up all the lumps. Stir in as much 
powdered resin as will lay on a silver dime, and throw in a half a dozen 
cloves. Have on the fire a tea-cup of boiling water ; pour the flour mixture 
into it, stirring well all the time. In a few minutes it will be the consistency 
of mush. Pour it into an earthen or china vessel ; let it cool ; lay a cover 
on, and put it in a cool place. When needed for use take out a portion and 
soften it with warm water.* 

Liquid Glue. — Dissolve one ounce of borax in a pint of boiling water , 
add two ounces of shellac, and boil in a covered vessel until the lac is dis- 
solved. This forms a very useful and cheap cement ; it answers well for 
pasting labels on tin, and withstands damp much better than the common 
glue. The liquid glue made by dissolving shellac in naphtha is dearer, soon 
dries up, and has an unpleasant smell. 

A Lasting Paste. — Buy at a druggist's an ounce of the best gum traga- 
canlh — the wliiiest is best. Pick it clean, and put it into a wide-mouth 
glass or white-ware vessel wliieh will hold a quart. Pour on a pint and 
a half of clear, culd soft water. Cover the vessel, and let it stand till next 
day. The gum tragacanth will then be much swollen, and nearly to the 
top of the vessel. Stir it down to the bottom with a stick, and add two or 
three drops of oil of wintergreen or sassafras. This will prevetit the paste 
from becoming sour or moldy. Stir it several times during that day, but 
afterward do not stir it at all, leaving it to form a smooth, white mass, like 
a very thick jelly. Then cover it closely, and set it away for use. 

Paste for Labels. — Take linseed oil, varnish, and turpentine, of each 
half an ounce, of glue an oinice, and of rye flour one pound. Make a paste 
of the rye flour in the usual way, dissolve the glue and put it in, add the 
other ingredients, and mix all thoroughly. Tliis will hold labels fast to 
bottles in damp cellars. The mucilage used on most of our envelopes is 
made by taking two ounces of glue, ten of water, four of rock candy, and 
one and a lialf of gum arable. Dissolve all together and mix tlioroughly. 



Paste and Cements. 349 

To Prevent Glue from Smelling Badly. — A tcaspoonful of saltpeter 
added to a large pot full of glue will effectually prevent it froru smelling 
badly ; besides, it causes it to dry faster and harder than it would without it. 

Oenient for Iron and Stone. — Glycerine and litharge stirred to a paste 
hardens rapidly, and makes a suitable cement for iron upon iron, for two 
stone surfaces, and especially for fastening iron to stone. The cement is 
insoluble, and is not attacked by strong acids. 

Diamond Cement. — The diamond cement which is so useful in joining 
cliiua, wood, leather, etc., is formed as follows : White glue, (or gelatine,) four 
lbs. ; white lead, (dry,) one lb. ; soft water, four qts. ; alcohol, one qt. 
Boil the glue and lead in the water by means of a water-bath ; when the glue 
is dissolved, add the alcohol and stir until the whole is well mixed. Pour 
into vials for use. 

Cement for Metal and Glass. — The following cement will firmly attach 
any metallic substances to glass or porcelain : Mix two ounces of a thick 
solution of glue with one ounce of linseed-oil varnish, or three fourths of an 
ounce of Venice turpentine ; boil them together, stirring them until they 
mix as thoroughly as possible. The pieces cemented should be tied together 
for two or three days. 

Glue for Uniting Card-Board, etc. — For uniting card-board, paper, 
and small articles of fancy work, the best glue, dissolved with about one- 
third its weight of coarse brown sugar in the smallest quantity of boiling 
water is very good. When this is in a liquid state it may be dropped in a 
thin cake upon a plate, and allowed to dry ; when required for use, one end 
of the cake may be moistened by the mouth and rubbed on the substances 
to be joined. 

A Cement Withstanding Heat and Moisture. — Pure white lead, or 
zinc white, ground in oil, and used very thick, is an excellent cement for 
mending broken crockery-ware ; but it takes a long time to harden. It is 
well to put the mended object in some store-room, and not to look at it for 
several weeks or even months. It will then be found so firmly united that 
if ever again broken it will not part on the line of the former fracture. 

Cement for Crockery. — To make a good cement for crockery, take one 
jiound of white shellac pulverized ; two ounces of clean gum mastic ; put 
these into a bottle, and then add one half pound pure sulphuric ether. Let 
it stand half an hour, and then add half a gallon ninety per cent, alcohol, and 
shake occasionally until it is dissolved. Heat the edges of the article to be 
mended, and apply the cement with a pencil-brush ; hold the article firmly 
together till the cement cools. 



350 Home Economics. 

To Make Compound Glue. — Take very fine flour, mix it with white of 
eggs, isinglass and a little yeast ; mingle the materials ; heat them well to- 
gether ; spread them, the batter being made thin with gum- water, on even 
tin plates, and dry them in a stove, then cut them out for use. To colof 
them, tinge the paste with Brazil or vermillion for red ; indigo or verditer 
Dtc, for blue ; saffron, turmeric, or gamboge for yellow. 



HOUSEHOLD ORNAMENTS. 

Pretty Hanging Ornaments. — Take a common pine cone, and plant in 
its crevices a few canary seeds ; place this half way in a hyacinth water-glass, 
and the seeds will sprout, and throw out delicate little green feathery blades 
shortly, filling the whole upper portion with a little festoon of verdure. 

Take a large turnip and scrape out the inside, leaving a thick wall all 
around. Fill the cavity with earth, and plant in it some clinging vine or 
morning-glory. Suspend the turnip with cords, and in a little time the vines 
twine around the strings, and the turnip, sprouting from below, will put forth 
leaves and stems that will turn upward and gracefully curl around the base. 

Take a common tumbler or fruit can and fill it nearly full of soft water. 
Then tie a bit of coarse lace or cheese-sacking over it, and press down into 
the water, covered with a layer of peas. In a few days they will sprout, the 
little thread-like roots going down through the lace into the water, and the 
vines can be trained up to twine around the window ; or, what is prettier, a 
frame may be made for the purpose. 

The sweet-potato vine is also a curiosity ; few would believe, until they have 
tried it, how pretty a sight might be made of it. Put a sweet potato in a 
tumbler of water, or any similar glass vessel ; fill with water ; keep the lower 
end of the tuber about one or two inches from the bottom of the vessel ; keep 
on the mantel shelf ; sun it for an hour or two each day, and soon little roots 
will appear — the eye will throw up a pretty vine, and grow rapidly over any 
trellis-work above. 

The morning-glory is one of the prettiest climbers for parlor windows. Give 
it plenty of sun. 

Pretty Mantel Ornaments. — A very pretty mantel ornament may be 
obtained by suspending an acorn, by a piece of thread tied around it, within 
half an incl of the surface of some water contained in a vase, tumbler, or 
saucer, and allowing it to remain undisturbed for several weeks. It will soon 
burst open, and small roots will seek the water ; a straight and tapering stem, 
with beautiful, glossy green leaves, will shoot upward, and present a very 
pleasing appearance. 



Household Ornaments, 351 

Chestnut trees may be grown in this manner, but their leaves are not as 
beautiful as those of the oak. The water should be changed once a month, 
taking care to supply water of the same warmth ; bits of charcoal added to it 
will prevent the water from souring. If the leaves turn yellow, add one drop 
of ammonia into the utensil which holds the water, and it will renew their 
luxuriance. 

Take a saucer and fill it with fresh green moss. Place in the center a pine 
cone, large size, having first wet it thoroughly. Then sprinkle it thoroughly 
with grass seed. The moisture will close the cone partially, and in a day or 
two the tiny glass spires will appear in the interstices, and in a week you will 
have a perfect cone of beautiful verdure. Keep secure from the frost, and 
give it plenty of water, and you will have a " thing of beauty " all the winter. 

Rules for Arranging Cut Flowers. — The first thing to be considered in 
arranging cut flowers is the vase. If it is scarlet, blue, or many-colored, it 
must necessarily conflict with some hue in your boquet. Choose rather pure 
white, green, or transparent glass, which allows the delicate stems to be seen. 
Brown Swiss-wood, silver, bronze, or yellow straw conflict with nothing. The 
vase must be subordinate to what it holds. Use a bowl for roses ; tall-spread- 
ing vases for gladiolus, fern, white lilies, and the like ; cups for violets and 
tiny wood flowers. A flower-lover will in time collect shapes and sizes to suit 
each group. 

Colors should be blended together with neutral tints, of which there are 
abundance — whites, grays, purples, tender greens — and which harmonize the 
pink, crimsons, and brilliant reds into soft unison. ' 

Certain flowers assort well only in families, and are spoiled by mixing. Of 
these are balsams, hollyhocks, and sweet-peas, whose tender liquid hues are 
as those of drifting sunset clouds. Others may be massed with good effect. 
In arranging a large basket or vase it is well to mentally divide it into small 
groups, making each group perfectly harmonious with itself, and blending 
the whole with green and delicate colors. And above all, avoid stiffness. 
Let a bright tendril or spray of vine spring forth here and there, and wander 
over and around the vase at its will. 

The water should be warm for a winter vase — cool, but not iced, for a sum- 
mer one. A little salt or a bit of charcoal should be added in hot weather, 
to obviate vegetable decay, and the vase filled anew each morning. With 
these precautions your flowers, if set beside an open window at night, will 
keep their freshness for many hours even in July, and reward by their beau- 
tiful presence the kind hand which arranged and tended them. 

To Crystallize Grasses. — The best rule is to put in as much alum as the 
water will dissolve ; when it will take no more, it is called a saturated solu- 
tion. Then pour it into an earthen jar, and boil it slowly until evaporated 



352 Home Economics. 



nearly one half. Now suspend the grasses in such a manner that their tops 
will be under the solution. Put the whole in a cool place where not the least 
draught of air or motion will disturb the formation of crystals. In twenty- 
four or thirty-six hours take out the grasses, and let them harden in a cool 
room. Beautiful blue crystals can be made by preparing blue-vitriol or sul- 
phate of copper in the same manner ; but don't let it drop on your dress or 
the carpet. Gold-colored crystals can be produced by adding turmeric to the 
alum solution, and a few drops of extract of log-wood will make rich, purple 
crystals. 

To Take Leaf Impressions. — Hold oiled paper in the smoke of a lamp, 
or of pitch, until it becomes coated with the smoke ; then take a perfect leaf, 
having a pretty outline ; after warming it between the hands, lay the leaf 
upon the smoked side of the paper, with the under side down, press it evenly 
upon the paper, that every part may come in contact ; go over it lightly with 
a rolling-pin, then remove the leaf with care to a plain piece of white note- 
paper, and use the rolling-pin again ; you will then have a beautiful impres- 
sion of the delicate veins and outline of the leaf. And this process is so sim- 
ple that any person, with a little practice to enable him to apply the right 
quantity of smoke to the oil paper and give the leaf proper pressure, can 
prepare leaf impressions such as a naturalist would be proud to possess. 
Specimens can be neatly preserved in book form, interleaving the impressions 
with tissue paper. 

Rockeries, Vases, and Hanging-Baskets. — They can, if properly 
made, and furnished with suitable, healthy plants, be made very ornamental 
additions to the lawn and piazza. Artificial rockeries should partake of a 
natural appearance as much as possible. Ferns, alpine plants, cypress-vines, 
vincas, lobelia, dwarf stocks, etc., are good plants for these. Vases, and hang- 
ing-baskets, whatever their design, should be at least ten or twelve inches 
in diameter, and six inches or more in depth. Be sure the drainage is good. 
Glazed pots, and those without outlet for water, are not good. The soil 
should not be over-rich, as it forces the growth too much for beauty and 
gracefulness. Climbing and drooping vines may, however, be stimu- 
lated. A good composition is one-third " scouring-sand, " the rest dark 
loam and leaf-mold. The fallings around pine-trees are excellent. For 
the center plant, dracena or achyranthus, or coleus, or centaurea is good. 
Next to center, begonias of all sorts, pilea, verbenas, petunia, vincas, sedimes. 
For edges, oxalis-lobelia, and various ivies and grasses. Water regularly. 

Vases for Cut Flowers. — To tlie average person a bunch of flowers in 
a vase must be harmonious and beautiful under all circumstances. The 
artistic and educated taste knows that it is quite as easy for the combina- 
tion to be most unpleasing. 



a I 



Household Ornaments. 353 

In a paper on the relations of vases to the cut flowers which they will 
hold, a writer in Garden and Forest shows quickly that the subject is worthy 
of consideration. " A flat circular dish," he says, " is needed for waterlilies, 
and as the flowers are in this case large the containing vessel must be am- 
ple in size, not merely to hold the flowers, but to preserve a proper sense 
of proportion. Tall spikes require tall vases, which should not be cylindrical 
but should be sensibly wider at the top than at the bottom. Roses and 
flowers with comparatively short stems require low, broad vessels, flaring 
at the top so as to admit of the graceful drooping which is so attractive with 
both leaves and flowers. Not more than four or five differently shaped 
flower vases are really necessary, the types of form being either flat or low 
circular vessels, which may be widely fluted upon the edges to break the 
too great uniformity of a plain circular rim, or round vessels which spread 
more or less as the sides rise from the bottom, and which may also be widely 
fluted at the top. All forms which bulge below, or which are in the small- 
est degree bizarre in shape, mnst be rejected." 

" If, with the Japanese, we consider a single beautiful flower enough at 
a time, a narrow containing vessel may be used. The Japanese use a piece 
of bamboo, which, from its irregular surface, loses the stiffness of the cylin- 
drical form. "We have no bamboo to use, and imitations in glass, china, or 
earthenware are, like all imit.ations, offensive to good taste. Flower vases 
should always be of some opaque material, and, all things considered, good 
unglazed earthenware is lo be preferred, only it should be impermeable to 
water and not coarse in texture. It should also be without ornamentation 
of any kiud, and of a single and uniform tint of color." 

" Opaque white " vases usually present too strong a contrast, and all 
colored glasses are to be rejected, together with white or colorless glasses, 
which show the "usually unsightly" stem of the flower. To this last rule, 
however, there is an admitted exception. 

Umbrella Covers. — Cut a circle from paper of the desired diameter, and 
cut this into eight triangular pieces. Take one of these pieces and fold the 
two sides together ; begin'at the bottom of the triangle and cut off an inch, 
narrowing the strip cut off till it reaches a point midway between the base 
and the apex of the triangle. This makes the umbrella curve down when 
it is opened. If not thus trimmed it will be flat on top. When the pattern 
is cut lay it on the goods so tliat the selvage will be at the base of each tri- 
angular section. Experiment with old muslin first, and then new goods may 
be used. Sew the sections together with strong thread doubled, and long 
enough to reach the entire length of the seam. With some ingenuity and 
patience almost anyone can cover an umbrella and make a very passable job 

of it. 

23 



354 



Home and Health. 



Fractures. — There are simple, compound, and comminuted fractures. 
When a bone is broken in one place, without any external wound, it is 

a simple fracture ; 
when there is an ex- 
ternal wound leading 
down to the broken 
bone, it is compound ; 
and when a bone is 
broken in two or 
more places, as "when 
a splinter of bene is 
broken off, the frac- 
ture is comminuted. 

As soon as the frac- 
ture is suspected, the 
surgeon should be 
summoned. He will 
be able at once to 
determine the nature 
and extent of the 
injury, and to sum- 
mon to his aid one 
of the various ap- 
pliances which have 
\been invented for re- 
;^ lief of patients in such 
The 
cuts 




an emergency, 
accompanying 



irill illustrate the construction and application of some of the most useful 
"splints" * for fractures thus far brought to the attention of the fublic. 




The first splint is for the arm, the second for the leg. Both bear the highest 
commendation, and are in extensive use by the medical profession, and may 
be purchased at small cost. 

* Invented by H. L. Richardson, M.D., Physician and Surgeon, "West Washington 
Place, New York. 



INDEX. 



HOMB. 

Pagb 

Only Man has a Home 9 

Virtues of the Hearth are the Securities 

of the People 

Home Builds the House 9 

Orifrin of the Family 10 

How the Family Develops Character. .. 10 
The Family often Ripens Rapidly those 

who Carry Us Burdens 11 

The Family Multiplies Happiness 11 

The Family Blesses in Necessitating 

Housekeeping 12 

Marbiaqe. 

What God thinks of Marriage 13 

Priiicipk'S Governing Marriage 13 

How TO Perpetuate the Honet-moon. 

Continue your Courtship 16 

Do not Assume a Right to Neglect 
your Comjianion More after Marriage 
than you did Before 16 

Have no Secrets that you Keep from 
your Companion 16 

Do not Conceal your Marriage for an 
Hour 16 

Avoid the Appearance of Evil 16 

Once Married never open your Mind to 
any Change 16 

Make the best of the Inevitable 10 

Keep Stop in Mental Development 16 

Keep a Lively Interest in the Business 
of the Firm 16 

Gauge your Expenses by your Reve- 
nues 17 

Start from where your Parents Started 
Rather than From Where they Now 
Are 17 

Avoid Debt 17 

Do not Both get Angry at the Same 
Time 17 

Do not Allow yourself Ever to Come to 
an Open Rupture 17 

Study to Understand your Companion's 
Disposition, in Order to Please and 
Avoid Friction 17 

Study to Conform your Tastes and 
Habits to those of your Compan- 
ion IT 

Chang and Eng were the Siamese Twins 17 



How to be a Good Husbaitd 

Pagi 

Honor your Wife 17 

Love your Wife 17 

Show your Love 17 

SufYerfor your Wife if Need be 18 

Consult with Her IS 

Study to Keep her Young 18 

Study with Her 18 

Help to Bear Her Burdens 18 

Make yourself Helpful by Thoughtful- 

ness 18 

Express your Will, not by Commands, 

but by Suggestions IS 

Study your own Character as Husband. IS 

Seek to Refine your Nature 19 

Be a Gentleman, a.s Well as Husband. . . 19 
Remember the Past Experience of your 

Wife 19 

Level Up 19 

Stay at Home 19 

Take your Wife with You into Society.. 20 



How to be a Good Wife. 

Reverence your Husband 20 

Love Him 20 

Do not Conceal your Love from Him . . 20 

Forsake All for Him 20 

' 'onfide in Him 20 

Keep His Love 20 

Cultivate the Modesty and Dehcacy of 

Youth 20 

Cultivate Personal Attractiveness 21 

Cultivate Physical Attracti\eness 21 

Do not Forget the Power of Incidental 

Attention 21 

Make your Home Attractive 21 

Preserve Sunshine 22 

Study your Husband's Character 22 

Cultivate His Better Nature 22 

Study to meet your Duties as a Wife.. . 23 
Seek to secure 3 our Husband's Happi- 
ness 23 

Study his Interest 23 

Practice Economy 23 

Facts fob Pabewts. 

Paternity is Eartirs Highest Dignity. .. 23 

Children are Boons 23 

Children Give New Life to a Home 28 



356 



lin)EX. 



Paob 
Children are Great Teachers of Theology 24 
Parents put their Image and Superscrip- 
tion upon their Character 24 

Prepare for the Duties of the Parental 

Kelation 24 

Conduct your Home for your Children. 24 

Remember that Children do Grow Old . 24 
Recall, as distinctly as Possible, your 

own Youth 24 

Family Goveknment. 
Forty-two Hints 24 

8UQSE8TION8 TO CHILDREN. 

Reverence your Parents 29 

Appreciate your Parents 29 

Do not shorten Childhood by Haste 28 

Confide in your Parents 29 

Mbubebs of tub Family. 

Brothers in the Family 29 

Sisters in the Family 29 

How to Treat the Aged 20 

A Mother-in-law in the Family 80 

A Step-mother in the Family 80 

Seevants in thk Family. 

A good Master makes a good Servant . . 30 

May expect Promotion from showing 
Capacity 81 

Should Identify Himself with the In- 
terests of his Employer 81 

Should Preserve the Strictest FideHty. . 31 

Should Serve them out of Sight as 
Scrupulously as when under the Em- 
ployer's Eye 31 

May Secure his wishes by Requests, 
not by Commands 81 

Should Seek to meet the "Wishes of the 
Employer in Spirit 81 

Should Secure Permanence of Engage- 
ment by making himself Necessary.. 81 

Should Carefully study the Duties As- 
signed 31 

Should avoid Habits and Manners dis- 
tasteful to his Employer 31 

Should avoid Talking Much 31 

Should seek to Gain and Retain Re- 
spect 81 

Hints to Employees. 

Employer should remember that all 
Eights do not center in Himself 31 

Identify himself with the Interests of his 
Employes 81 

Pay Honestly what he w^ould Expect in 
a Reversed Case 81 

Pay Promptly 81 

Watch over the Morals of his Em- 
ployes 81 

Inspire Re«peet 81 



FAe> 

Encourage the Worker 81 

Instruct With Kindliness 81 

Correct in Authority and Gentleness. ... 81 

Mistress in the Family. 

Should Remember that her Position 

gives her Certain Dignity 32 

She Must Preserve Good Temper 32 

Avoid Fault-finding 32 

Improve your Servants by showing 

them how they can do Better 32 

Secure their Confidence in Your Kind- 
ness 32 

Keep them in Self-respect 32 

Put your Servants into the Way of Self- 
care 82 

Insi>ire Them with the Sense of Life's 

Worth 82 



SUPEKIOES AND InFERIOES. 

Proper Respect for Superiors is a due 
Part of Liberty 82 

Children should be Subordinate to Par- 
ents 32 

Superiors in Age, Office, and Station, have 
Precedence 32 

A Parent, Teacher, or Employer, may 
Admonish 32 

A Superior may use Language and Man- 
ners of Freedom 82 

Respect is Due from All to AU 83 

It is the most Exalted Philosophy to ac- 
cept Facts 83 

Training Children foe Given Ends. 

What is your Purpose in Training 83 

Training for Usefulness 83 

Training for Wealth 33 

Training for Greatness 84 

Training for Refined Society 34 

Training for Heaven 84 

Choosing a Calling. 

But few are Elected to any one Particu- 
lar CalHng or Trade 84 

Study your Natural Proclivities 34 

Study Providence 34 

Do not Fret over your Natural Qualifi- 
cations 34 

Wishes are often Presentiments of Capa- 
bihties 35 

Having Settled the Calling, let it Re- 
main Settled 85 

Pith 86 



How to Conduct Family Pbayee. 

Conduct it according to your Strength.. 85 

Have Family Prayer 85 

Collect your Household 86 

Have each Member take Part 85 



Index. 



357 



Paob 

If the Father is not a Professing Chris- 
tian, the Duty of Leadership De- 
volves upon the Mother 85 

If the Father cannot command Courage 
to Lead in Prayer 86 

It is a vahiai)lo Custom on the Sabbath 
Morning for the Worship to be Va- 
ried 86 

It is Helpful to have a Koom where all 
Meet for Prayer 86 



Oraoe at thk Tablb. 

Render unto God Thanks for Daily 
Bread 86 

How TO Profit by Habit. 
Habit Becomes Destiny 86 

Hints and Helps en Convkksation. 
Eighty-four Hints and Helps 8T-41 

Good Manners. 

Politeness is Loving thy Neighbor as 

Thyself 41 

AflFectation is the Foe of Good Breeding 41 

The Divine Law of Politeness 41 

Gentleman and Gentlewoman 42 

Good Manners are Important Helps 42 

American Manners 42 

Study, Observation, and Experiment.. . 42 

Should be Taught to Children Gradually 42 
A Few Brief Rules should be Suspended 

in Every School-room 42 

Table Manners. 

Cleanliness is the First Element of De- 
cency 42 

Children should be Trained in the Family 43 

Table Rules 43 

Table Improprieties. (44 described) 44 

Church Manners. 
Thirteen RtJes 46 



Introductions — How to Give Them. 

Not Necessary to Introduce Every body 
to Every body 46 

Business Men 46 

Inferior should be Introduced to the Su- 
perior 46 

In Presenting Persons, Speak Names 
Plainly 47 

If vou are the Inferior, be not First to 
fixtend the Hand 47 

In Introducing Members of your own 
Family, Always Mention the Name.. . 47 

If you are a Gentlemaa 47 



Salutations, and How to Make Tbbu. 

Pase 

Salutation the Touchstone of Good 

Breeding 47 

A Great Rudeness not to Return a Salu- 
tation 47 

Receptions — Best Methods. 

The Duty of Receiving Visitors 47 

When one Enters, Rise Immediately. . . 47 

If the Master Receives 47 

If Several Come at Once 48 

If Visitor is a Stranger 48 

If Some who are Present Withdraw. ... 48 

Visits and Calls. 

Visits of Ceremony, Congratulation, Con- 
dolence, and Friendship 48 

Visits of Ceremony 47 

Visits of Congratulation 48 

Visits of Condole^nce 48 

Visits of Friendship 48 

Visiting Cards 43 

A Gentleman Attending Ladies Making 

Calls 48 

In Terminating a Call 48 

Morning Call 48 

Soiled Over-shoes and Wet Wraps 48 

Gentlemen Attending should be Prompt 48 

Twenty-eight Rules 48 

Hosts and Guests. 

Hosts should give Guests Home Feeling 50 
Guests should Show Hosts the Home 

Feeling 50 

Appointments. 

Dinner Parties 51 

Evening Parties 61 

Christmas 51 

The New Year 62 

Weddings. 

Custom gives Liberty to Follow Taste. . 5? 

For a Stylish Wedding 53 

For a Formal Wedding 53 

In a Well-ordered Wedding 53 

When Ceremony is performed in Church 58 

Following Bridesmaids and Groomsmen 54 

Order of Approach 54 

If the Ring is used 54 

Have only Ushers 64 

Order Changes with Fancy 54 

When Ceremony is Ended 54 

If Ceremony performed in House 54 

Bridegroom takes early occasion to 

Ttiank Clergyman 64 

Funerals. 

When Member of Family Dies 64 

A Funeral Service 64 

Minister Not Expected to go to Grave. . 64 



358 



Index. 



Important Rules of Conduct. 

Paok 

Always Eespectful to Parents 55 

Courteous to Brothers and Sisters 56 

Dei.cate Attentions of Lover 55 

Mutual Kindness between Employers 
and Employed 55 

Politeness. 
Seven ty-two Important Rules for 55 

Amusements— Their Importance. 

To Keep Enemy out of Fort, Occupy 

It Yourself 58 

When Amusements become Sinful 58 

Home Entertainment 

Provide in the Home not only Instruct- 
ive, but also Entertaining, Reading.. . 58 
iTovide Good Supply of Pictures and 

Toys for very young Children 59 

filter into the'Sports of your Children. 59 
Lead Children to Cultivate Fruits and 

Flowers 59 

Cultivate Music, Vocal and Instrumental 59 
Collect Shells, Plants, and Specimens in 

Geologv and Mineralogy 59 

Give the "Boys Boxes of Tools 59 

Give Little Girls Dolls, and nice Large 

Dolls to Larger Girls 

Interest the Children in Decorating the 

Home 

Celebrate Birthdays, Holidays, and Anni- 
versaries ... 

As far as possible let Each Child have a 
Companion near its own Age, with 

Congenial Tastes 59 

Use Hospitality 60 

Establish a Reading Cu-cle 60 

Keep Up Family Relations After Leav- 
ing Home 60 



How AND Wuat to Read. 

The Use of Books 60 

A Course of Reading 60 

A Few Books may Give Culture 60 

Choosing Books is Important Business. 60 
Some Books should be Read Whether 

we Like Them or Not 61 

Never Read Second-class Stories 61 

Never Read what you Do Not Wish to 

Remember 61 



Health at Home. 

Health is Wealth 62 

Special Home Ministry 68 

Ministry must Begin Early 68 

Ministry Illustrated 68 

Another 1 Uustration 68 



Choobins a Phtsioiak. 

Pas* 

Select the Physician Parly 64 

Select a Physician of Integrity 64 

Choose a Physician ot Clean Lips 64 

Having Chosen Hiin, Give Him Your 

Confidence 64 

He should be Able, Thorough as a Stu- 
dent, of Untirintr luaustry 64 

Which School of Medicine 65 

Be Considerate of his Time and Rest. . . 65 
Don't Abuse his Confidence by Trivial 

Calls 65 

Physician in the Intervals of Sickness. . . 65 
Better to care for a Man's Health than 

for his Disease 65 

Why do Successful Medical Men often 

Die Prematurely ? 66 

Physician should be Reverential 66 

Qualities of a Good Doctor, by a Doctor 66 

Prevention of Disease. 

Early and Strange Notions of Disease.. 67 

What is Disease ? 6T 

Many Diseases may b« Avoided 67 

Methods of Prevention 68 

Responsibility of Health Commissioners 68 

The Divine Plan 68 

Why Medicine is Taken 68 



The Blood- 



-It8 Relation to Life and 
Health. 



Change and Waste 

Supply from the Blood 

Quantity of the Blood 

Etfects Produced by Loss of Blood 

Transfusion of Blood 

Composition of Blood 

Water of the Blood 

Mineral Ingredients 

Albumen in the Blood 

Albumen 

Quantity of Albumen 

Fibrine 

Other Substances 

Described Globules of the Blood 

Remarkable Characteristics of the Glob- 
ules 

Color of Blood Globules 

Opacity of the Blood 

White" Globules 

Coagulation of the Blood 

Time for Coagulation 

Cause of Coagulation 

Serum of the Blood • 

A " (.'lot" of Blood 

Importuice of Coagulation 

Coagulation Stops Bleeding 

Coagulation in tlie Interior of the Body 

Ligature and Coagulation 

Coagulation Spontaneous 

Why Coagulation does not Stop Circula- 
tion 

Two Different Kinds of Blood in the 
Body 



78 
78 
78 
79 
79 
79 
79 
80 
80 
80 
80 
81 
81 

81 

82 



Index. 



359 



Food and Health. 

Pack 

Food Makes Blood for the Body, 82 

Aniovint of Food Daily Needed 82 

Kinds of Food Needed 83 

Process of Digestion 83 

Nutritious and Healthy Articles of Food 83 

A Suggestive Conversation 84 

Onions 84 

'I'oniatoes 85 

Healthful Bread 85 

ITnground Wheat 85 

A Very Nutritious Bread 86 

Fresh or Stale Bread. Which ? 86 

Oat MeaL 86 

i^oisonous Properties of Moldy Bread. . 87 

llralthfuliiess of Fruit 87 

Fruit Saves Doctors' Bills 87 

Danger of Eating Fruit to Excess 88 

8l)e(aal Danger in Summer Vacation 88 

Are Nuts Healthful? 88 

Salt with Nuts 88 

Hints about Hkalthfcl Eating. 

A Gkwd Appetite Healthful 89 

Appetite not an Infallible Guide 89 

Evil of Kapid Eating 89 

How to Kegulate the Quantity of Food 89 

Plating too Much 90 

Food should be Thoroughly Chewed... 90 

Hint about "Small MouihfuLs" 90 

How Much shall we Eat? 90 

Loss of Appetite, and How to Recover it 91 

iJest Before and After Eating 91 

Eating Between Meals 91 

Best Times for Meals 91 

Comparative Value of Diflferent Modes 

of Cooking 92 

Variety of Vegetiit)lcs at the Same Meal 92 

" How Long to Starve " 93 

Foon FOE THE SlOK. 

Toast Water 93 

Barley Water 93 

iJariey Gruel 93 

Oitmeal Gruel 93 

I'arclied Corn Gruel 94 

Ground Rice Milk 94 

i;re;ul Jelly 94 

l.cl.ind Moss Jelly 94 

Apple Tapioca 94 

iupioca Jelly 94 

Me^jit Jelly 94 

To make Arrow-root 95 

Ai>ple Water 95 

Apple Tea 95 

Currant Drink 95 

Beverage of Figs and Apples 95 

Ice Cream and Beef Juice . . 95 

Broth from Fowls 95 

Chicken Broth 95 

To Cook birds for Convalescents 96 

Mutton Broth 96 

A Strong Broth 96 

C.'ilves' Feet 96 

Nourishing Soup 90 



Pa.jk 

Honey 96 

Isinglass 96 

Brewis £6 

Suet and Milk 97 

Mucilage of Gum-arable 97 

Strong Tonic Drink 97 

Bran Tea 97 

Savory Custard- 97 

Raw Beef 97 

Recipe for Beef Tea 98 

Water — Its Relation to Health. 

Its Source 99 

Spruig and W-^ll Water in the Country.. 99 

How Water Becomes Polluted 99 

Caution in Locaung Wells 100 

Care in Constructing Cisterns 100 

How to Examine Suspected Water 100 

Purifying Water wilh Alum 100 

Is Soft Water Better than Hard Water 

for Drinking Purposes? 101 

Water Cure or Hydropathy ... 101 

Water a Powerful Absorbent 101 

Caution concerning Standing Water .... 101 

Distilled Water 101 

Do Lead Pipes Poison the Water 102 

Ice-Watek and Health. 

Ice-Water Hinders Digestion io2 

Ice Drinks affecting the Head i02 

Other evils of Iced Drinks los 

A Suggestive Caution about Ice 103 

How to Cool Drinking Water Without 
Ice.. 103 

Summer Betkraoes. 

Avoid All Alcoholic Drinks 104 

Good Cool Water 104 

To Allay Thirst without Drinking 104 

The Best kind of Water 104 

Lemonade and Lemons 104 

Lemon Sugar for Travehng 105 

Lemons for F^xcessive Thirst 105 

Lemons for Invalids 105 

Lemons at " Tea-time " 105 

Organic Matter in Drinking Water 105 

Various I)rinks 106 

Orangeade Medically Prescribed 106 

Ices and Ice-cream 107 



Tea, Coffee, and Health, 

How Tea is Grown 107 

Prepai-ation of Tea for Market 107 

Tea Plant in Respect of Quidity 108 

Tea and Digestion 108 

Tea-drinking and Sick Headache ; an Il- 
lustration 108 

The Doctrine Stated 109 

A Home Case 100 

Was tne Case Hereditary ? 109 

Failure of Remedies 109 

More Careful Investigation 110 

The True Cause Suspected 110 



360 



Index. 



PA.4E 

Tlip UsniJ Answer 110 

First Efforts for Relief 110 

Relief at Last 110 

Relapse and Recovery Ill 

Was the Case " Peculiar " Ill 

A Remarkable Teat Ill 

A Second Remarkable Test 112 

A Third Remarkable Test 112 

Relief for Most Headache Sufferers 112 

The Kinds of Tea Used 113 

Other Suspected Bad Effects of Tea. ... 113 

Tea a Powerful Excitant 113 

Tea a Powerful Astringent 113 

How to Test Each Case Properly 113 

How to Stop Drinking Tea 114 

The Old Cry Slated 114 

How Tea was Banished trom a Minis- 
ter's Table . . .... . . 114 

Is Tea Good for Weil'People'?". ". '. '. '. '. "... 115 

Coffee as a Beverage 115 

Substitute for Coftee 116 

The Aib We Bbeathb. 

The Wonder of Breathing 116 

Fresh Air Constantly Needed ng 

What is Pure Air? 117 

How Fresh Air Purifies the Blood 117 

Capacity of the Lungs for Air us 

Amoimt of Air We Breathe 118 

Healthful Respiration 118 

ReUef from Hiccough 119 

How to Check Sneezing, Coughing, etc. 119 
Evil Effect of Breathing Respired Air.. 120 
Air in Rooms Vitiated by Lighted Fires 120 
Impure Air in Small Rooms and Tene- 
ment Houses 120 

How to Ventilate Houses 121 

Air in Sick Rooms 121 

Bad Air in School and Lecture Rooms. . 121 

Teachers and Bad Air 122 

Foul Air in Churches 122 

How to Remove the Foul Air from 

Churches 122 

Bad Air versus Religion 122 

Night Air Healthy 124 

Water as a Purifier 124 

Sea Air 124 

Air at the Seaside 124 

Are Winds Healthful? 124 

Dampness of the Air and Health 125 

Sea and Mountain Air Compared 125 

Mutual Diffusion of Air 125 

Our Great Enemies, the Marshes 126 

DrSXNFEOTANTS — HoW TO PREPARE AND 

UsB Them. 

Fresh Air and Sunlight 126 

Water 126 

Charcoal 127 

Charcoal and Lime 127 

Clay 127 

Quicklime and Gypsum 127 

Sifted Ashes 127 

Surface Soil '127 



Pack 

Fresh Stone-lime . 127 

Copperas 127 

Chloride of Lime 128 

Salt and Lime Paste 128 

Carbolic Acid 128 

Salt and Nitrate of Lead 128 

" Disinfecting Mixture" 128 

General Disinfecting Compound.. . .. 128 

Coffee ae a Disinfectant 129 

Sunflowers as Disinfectants 129 

Boiling for Infected Clothing - . 129 

Soaking for Foul Clothing 129 

Boiling alter Disinfection 129 

Carbolic Acid for Clothing 130 

How to Fumigate Rooms 130 

To Disinfect Water-closets 130 

To Disinfect Dead bodies 131 

Comparative Permanent Value of Diflier- 

ent Disinfectants 131 

Caution in Removing Foul Air from 

Wells 132 

Precautions in Ventilating Infected 

Rooms 132 

Heat and Steam 132 

A New Disinfectant 132 

Sunlight and Health. 

Power of Sunlight 133 

Seclusion from Sunlight 133 

Philosophy of the Influence of Sun- 
light 133 

Sunlight and Plants 133 

Sunlight and Domestic Animals 133 

Sunlight and Human Life 134 

Another Testimony 134 

Sunlight and Miners 135 

Paralysis cured by Sunlight 135 

Neuralgia, Rheumatism, and Hypochon- 

ria. Cured by Sunshine 135 

Florence Nightingale on Sunlight 135 

SunUght Shut out by Parasols, 136 

The Sunlight and the Blinds . .' 136 

The Sun brings Fhes 137 

Sunlight and Sleep 137 

Sunlightand Cars 137 

Give the Children Sunlight 137 

Sunlight in the School-room 137 

The "Solaries " of the Ancients 138 

Sunlight and Digestion — an Illustration . 138 

Care of the Eyes. 

Strange Neglect of the Eyes 142 

How the Eye is Kept Clean 143 

How the Eye is Protected from Irrita- 
tion 143 

How to Improve the Eyelashes 143 

Overstraining the Eyes 143 

Eye Sti-ain sometimes the Cause of Head- 
ache 144 

Danger of Too Continuous Use 144 

Proper Distance of the Object 144 

Proper Quantity of Light 144 

Best Direction of the Light 145 

The Use of Colored Glasses 145 



Index. 



361 



PAfJK 

Relieving Near and Far-sightedness.. . . 145 
Changing Light not a Cause for Alarm . UQ 

Use Glasses as Soon as Needed ii6 

Double Glasses sometimes useful 14(5 

Squinting and its Remedy 1-40 

Near-Sightedness in Children 147 

How to Remove Foreign Bodie* from 

the Eye 147 

" Eye Stones," or Grain of Flaxseed for 

the Eye I47 

" "Wild Hairs" 147 

" Cataract " in the Eye 147 

Color-Blindness 147 

Color-Blindness Explained 147 

The Question of C/olor-Blindness import- 
ant 148 

Cure of Color- Blindness 148 

Medical Treatment of Color-Blindness.. 148 

False Sight Explained 148 

How to treat a Sty 149 

Important hints Concerning Eyesight.. 149 

Care of the Eab. 

How Sound is Produced 152 

Careful Attention and Treatment 152 

Temporary Deafness 152 

Insect in the Ear 153 

Other Small Bodies in the Ear. 153 

Fungus in the Ear 153 

Remedy for Fungus 153 

Singing in the Ear 153 

Remedies for Earaches 154 

Earache Relieved By Arnica 154 

Don"t Treat the Ear for Toothache 155 

Don't " Box the Ears " 155 

Cars of the Nose — Smelling. 

The Sense of Smell I55 

The Object may be Distant 156 

Foreign Substances in the Nose 156 

Bleeding from the Nose 156 

Treatment of Excessive Nose-bleed 156 

Simple Remedy for Nose-bleed 15G 

Catarrh of the Nose 156 

Treatment of Nasal Catarrh 157 

Cabb of the Teeth. 

Number of the Teeth 157 

How the Teeth are Classified 157 

Order and Period of their Growth 157 

The Composition of Teeth 158 

Causes of Decay 158 

Want of Cleanliness 158 

Deposit of Tartar Injurious 158 

How to Car* for Permanent Teeth .... 159 

How to Care for the Teeth Early 159 

How Often should the Teeth be Washed ? 159 

Use of Aromatic Water 159 

A Mixture for the Teeth 159 

Tooth-powders Often Injurious 160 

Cracking Nuts with the Teeth 100 

Imi>ortance of Hf^althful Gums ICO 

Tf.-tliiiig 160 



"Toothache Cures " itjo 

What to do with Decayed Teeth lei 

Artificial Teeth 162 

Care of the Haib. 

Growth of the Hair iq2 

How to Preserve the Hair iq2 

Why Ladies are not Bald 162 

Why the Hair Falls Out 162 

How to Prevent the Hau* from Falling 

Out 162 

"Organic Baldness" Incurable i63 

" Functional " Baldness Curable i63 

How to Cure Fimctional Baldness 163 

Avoid Hair Dyes 163 

Caution in Using " Hair Oils " 163 

A Good Hair-dressing 163 

Value of Castor Oil for the Hair 163 

A Preparation of Glycerine and Bose- 

wilter Recommended 164 

Relative Value of Other Oil Preparations 164 
How to Prevent the Hair from Turning 

Gray 104 

Washing the Hair with Soda-Water Re- 
lieves Headache 164 

Sudden Changes in the Color of the Hair 164 

A Remarkable Case in Berlin 164 

A Remarkable Case in Rotterdam 165 

Sudden Changes of Coloi Without Fright 165 

Utility of Beards 165 

To Remove Dandruff 166 

Care of the Feet. 

Warm Feet Essential to Health 166 

How to Cure the Habit of Cold Feet 166 

How to Sleep with Warm Feet 166 

Waking Up with Cold Feet 166 

To Keep the Feet Dry 167 

Short and High -heeled Shoes 167 

Cause of Chilblains 167 

To Cure Chilblains 167 

How to Prevent, and How to Remove, 

Corns 168 

Cause of Ingrowing Toe-Nail 169 

Remedies for Ingrowing Nails 169 

Remedy for Blistered Feet 170 

Bunions 170 

To Cure Frosted Feet 170 

Treatment of Scalded Feet 170 

Care of thb Skin. 

Use of the Skin 170 

Color of the Skin 171 

The Pores of the Skin 171 

Keeping the Skin Clean 172 

Diseases of the Skin — Warts 172 

Grafting the Skin 172 

To Remove Warts 173 

Chapped Lips and Hands 174 

Freckles 174 

Tan and Sunburn 174 

Cause and Cure of Moles 174 

Pimjilea and Sores , 174 



362 



Index. 



Bathing and Hbalth. 

Park 

Bathing: in Ancient Times 175 

The Object of the Ancient Bath 175 

The Bath a Public Benefit 175 

Fresh and Bait- Water Bathing 176 

Bathing at the Sea-side 176 

Tonic Value of Sea-side Air 176 

A Caution in Sea-side Bathing 176 

Peril at Crowded Sea-side Resorts 177 

Season for Sea-Bathing. . 177 

Duration of the Sea Bath 177 

Proper Limitation of Sea-Bathing 177 

Plunge Bathing 178 

Surf Bathing 188 

Best Hour of the Day fur Bathing 178 

Condition of the Body Before Bathing. . 178 
Helpful Accessories to Bathing Exercise 178 

Avoid Exposure 179 

Bathing Indoors 179 

Benefit of a " Towel Bath " 179 

Temperature of Baths 179 

The Best Bath for Children 179 

Turkish and Eussian Baths 18C 

Medicated Baths 180 

Convenient Vapor Baths 180 

Electric Baths 180 

Hot Sand Baths 180 

Bathing Dresses 181 

Twenty -two Brief Hints to Bathers 181 



SiEEP AND Health. 

Sleep a Necessity 183 

What Sleep will Cure 183 

How we go to Sleep 183 

Position During Sleep 183 

Why High Pillows are Injurious — 183 

Sleeping on the Back or Side. Which ? 18i 
Evil Effects of Sleeping Exclusively on 

One Side 184 

Amount of Sleep Necessary 184 

Testimony of an Experienced Farmer... 184 

Waking Children 185 

Best Hours for Sleeping 185 

Kiss the Children a "Happy Good Night" 185 

The Great Pleasure of Sleep 185 

Sleeping Alone 186 

Are Feather Beds TJnhealthful ? 186 

In What Direction shall the Bed Stand? 186 

Sleep for the Invalid 186 

Lack of Sleep Causes Leanness 186 

Sleeplessness— How to Prevent it 188 

Sleeplessness— llow to Cure it 188 

An Eminent Clergyman's Advice 189 

Slumber at Will 190 

Sleep Procured by Medicine 190 

"A Pillow for the Sleepless " 190 

Bleeping Hints 191 

Short Sleepers 191 

Living Without Sleep 191 

Curious Cases of Long Sleeping 192 

Soft or Hard Beds. Which ? 192 

Warm or Cold Sleeping-rooms. Which? 193 
Thorough Ventilation of Sleeping-rooms 193 

Time Required for Airing Beds 193 

DreamiuL' and Sonnanibulism 193 



Pack 

The Cause of Nightmare 193 

Snoring, and How to Stop it 194 

Are Plants in Sleeping-rooms Injurious? 195 
Plants give out Carbonic Acid During 

the Night 195 

Flowering Plants More Injurious than 

Others 196 

Plants Exhale Other Noxious Substanoes 196 
Sleep and Death 196 



Clothing and Health. 

Most Healthful Clothing 197 

Flannel in Summer as well as Winter... 197 

Best Color for Clothing 197 

Texture of Clothing should not be Close 198 

Evil of Insuflicient Clothing 198 

Evil of Low-necked Dress 198 

High-heeled Boots and Shoes 198 

Newspapers as Protectors from Cold... 199 

Warm Clothing fur the Feet 199 

Frequent Change of Clothing for the 

Feet 199 

How to Wear Underclothing 200 

Bad Effects from Using " Garters " 200 

Muffling the Throat 200 

Remove Wet Clothing 200 

Poisonous Clothing — Gloves 201 

Other Cases of Glove-Poisoning 201 

Poisonous Socks 201 

Other Poisonous Clothing 201 

How to Avoid such Poisoning 201 

How, to Cure such Clothing 202 

How to Protect the Public from such 

Clothing 202 

Injurious Dress of Many School -Girls.. 202 
How Fashionable Dress Interferes with 

Education 202 

Increasing Demand for Healthy Clothing 203 
The Tyranny of Fashion 203 



Tight- LACING and Health — Important 
Testimony. 

Physical Effects of Tight-pressing Gar- 
ments 204 

Effect on Respiration 204 

Effect on Size 204 

Investigations by Herbst 204 

High Medical Testimony 204 

Case Reported by the " British Medical 

Journal " 205 

Tight Lacing Pollutes the Blood 205 

Weak and Silly Excuses Described 206 

Tight Lacing and General Weakness. .. 207 

Absurdity of Tight Lacing 207 

The General Question Illustrated 208 



EXEBOIBB AND HEALTH. 

Toil and Activity Necessary to Health . . 213 
Severe Exercise after Eating Injurious... 213 
Light Exercise after Eating is Healthful 214 
These Rules Apply also to Mental Exer- 
cise 214 



^ 



Index. 



363 



Pa<;k 

Early "Walking and its Value 214 

How to Make the Walk most Healthful 214 
Walking Combined with Useful Investi- 
gation 214 

In Walking the Dress should be Loose.. 214 

Walk Untrammeied 215 

Effect of Tight Lacing on Walking 215 

Exercise for Delioiite Women 215 

Wear the Right Kind of Shoes 215 

Exercise a Cure for Many Diseases 210 

E.xercise "About Xbe House" Not 

Enough 216 

Exercise by Rule Firmly Observed 216 

Exercise as a Cure for Ia)W Spirits 216 

Abuse of Physical Exercise 217 

False Criticism concerning Exercise An- 
swered 217 

Riding and Rowing, and other kinds of 

Exercise 218 

Swimming aa Exercise 218 



Crtinq, Laughing, and Singing. 

Crying and Health 219 

Laughing and Health 219 

The Laughing Cure 219 

Physical Influence of Singing 219 

Age for Vocal Training 220 



Occupations and Health— Vital Statis- 
tics. 

Mental I<abor and Health. An Illustra- 
tion 221 

There are Hundreds of Similar Cases. . . 221 
Aver.ige Longevity of Diverse Avoca- 
tions 222 

Order of Mortalitv in Certain Classes of 

Manual Labor.! 222 

Comparative Ages of Persons Active in 

Business 222 

Vital Statistics— Births 223 

Vital Statistics — Marriages 22.3 

Vital Statistics— Deaths 223 

Expectation of Human Life 223 



DWBI.LINGS AND HkALTH. 

Importance of a Healthful location . . . 224 

Remove from a Foul District 225 

Location of Dwellings in Cities 225 

Shade Trees around our Dwellings 225 

High Ceilings and Health 225 

Capacity of Bricks for Dampness 225 

Damp Walls and their Relation to Health 226 

Dampness of Other Walls 226 

Why Damp Walls ate Injurious 226 

How to Dry Damp Walls 227 

How to Prevent Walls from Becoming 
Damp. A Successful Experiment.. .. 227 

Damp Closets and Health 228 

Caution Against Damp Floors 228 

How to Make Dry Cellar Floors 228 

Danger from Vegetables in Cellars 228 



pArjr 

Danger from Wetting Coal in Cellars... 228 
Sitting-rooms and Bedrooms and Health 228 

The Kitchen Sink and Health 229 

Ripe Fruit in Sitting or 81eei)ing-roora8 229 

The Out door Parts of the House 229 

House Cisterns and Health 230 

How to Remedy the Evil of Bad Cisterns 230 

" Death in the Dishcloth " 230 

Secure General House Sanitary Inspec- 
tion 231 



Sohool-rooms and Health. 

Near-sightedness in Schools 232 

An Alarming Fact 232 

How to Remedy the Evil 233 

How the Evils are Caused. '. 233 



Garb of Childbeit. 

Early Food of Children 234 

Changes of Early Diet— Weaning 235 

Best Rule as to the Exact Time for 

Weaning 235 

Arrangement of Regular Meals for Chil- 
dren 235 

Is the Mother's Health Injured by Nurs- 
ing? 235 

The Mother's Food while Nursing 236 

A Common Artificial Food Condemned. 230 

Early Baths for Children 236 

Early Clothing for Children 236 

Early Sleep of Children 230 

Shall Children be Rocked to Sleep? 237 

Shall Feather PiOows be Used for Ba- 
bies' Heads? 237 

Babies' Bow-legs and How to Prevent 

them 237 

Babies' Knock-knees, and How to Pre- 
vent them 238 

How to Care for Children's Feet 238 

Early E.xercise for Children 238 

Giving Spirits or Cordials to Babies. . . . 238 
Are Candies Healthful for Childreu?. . . . 238 

Children in the Care of Servants 238 

Lack of Appetite in Children 239 

Age, Studies, and Habits of Children at 
School 239 



The Sick-eoom and Health. 

Light in the Sick-Chamber 240 

Cheerful Walls and Cheerful Prospects. 240 
The Inspiration of Pleasant Contrasts. .. 240 
The Healtliful Influence of Pleasant Va- 
riety 241 

The Inspiration of Beautiful Flowers. .. 241 

Caution as to Reading Aloud. - 241 

Read Slowly to the Sick . 241 

Read in a Natviral, Pleasant, Colloquml 

Voice 242 

Evil of Reading Aloud only Fragment- 
ary Paragraphs 243 

Evil of a Rough Voice in the Sick-Room 24' 



;64 



Index. 



Page 

Evil of an Indistinct Voice 242 

How to Move a Patient 243 

Great Tenderness of Manner Required.. 243 
Heat and Ventilation in the Sick-Rooni. 243 

Cleanliness and Neatness 244 

Directions in Contagious Sickness 2-44 

Important Qnalities of a Good Nurse. .. 244 
Twenty-one Brief Suggestions to Nurse 245 



Alcohol and Health. 

Alcohol cannot be Classed as Food 246 

Liebig's Testimony 246 

Dr. Richardson's and Prof. Silliman's 

Testimony 246 

Alcohol Not the Source of Physical 

Force 247 

Similar Testimony from Others 247 

Does Alcohol Help Digestion ? 247 

Alcohol Useless in Nearly All Cases 247 

A Distinguished Surgeon Uses Alcohol 

in only One Case out of Fifty f 247 

Patients Require Food rather than Stim- 
ulants 248 

Careless Use of Alcohol Dangerous 248 

Alcohol a Brain Poison 248 

Alcoholic Rheumatism 248 

How Alcoholic Drinks Cause Apoplexy 249 
No Risk in Disusing Alcohol Suddenly.. 249 
Physicians should Promote Abstinence. 249 

Testimony of a Great Surgeon 250 

Inconsiderate Prescription of Liquors by 
Physicians — Testimony of 3(K) Lead- 
ing Physicians 250 

General Physiological Effects of Alcohol 250 
Alcoholic Drinks Greatly Shorten Life.. 251 

Interesting Illustrative Statistics 251 

Table Showing the Comparative Expec- 

tiition of Life for Drinkers 251 

Why Some Liquor-drinkers have Long 

Lives 252 

A Icoholic Intemperance Hereditary 252 

Darwin Confirms this View 253 

Hereditary Drunkenness Hlustrated. . . . 252 
Great Peril in Using Alcohol as Medi- 
cine 253 

Sad Results of Prescribing Alcohol 253 

Fruitless Efforts for Recovery 254 

The Victim's Sorrowful Experience 254 

Dr. Rush's Noble Testimony 254 

Drinking Paroxysms: Periodic Attacks 255 
The Excuse for these Periodic Parox- 
ysms 255 

Sudden End of the Drinking Paroxysms 255 
How Alcohol Injures the Physical Sys- 
tem 256 

Patent "Bitters" are Strong Liquors 

Drugged 256 

Patent "Bitters" the Worst Form of Al- 
cohol 256 

"Cure of Drunkenness" 256 

The "Tapering-off System" Exploded.. 257 
Treatment of Inebriates in Delirium 

Tremens 257 

What to Avoid i 257 



TOBAOOO AND HEALTH. 

Pa«b 

Effects of Tobacco on the System 258 

Another Testimony 258 

Other Testimonials 259 

Tobacco Specially Harmful to the Young 259 

Tobacco and Paralj'sis 259 

Tobacco and Early Physical Weakness.. 260 

Tobacco Pollutes the Atmosphere 260 

The Tobacco Appetite Often Hereditary 260 

The Excuses of Tobacco Users Trivial. . 260 

Smoking Worse than Chewing 260 

Tobacco in the Form of Snuff 261 

"But I Can't Quit It" 261 

Testimony of John Q. Adams 261 

Great Extent of the Tobacco Habit 261 



OPrtTM-EATINO AND HEALTH. 

Powerful Effects of Opium 262 

Symptoms of Opium Poisoiuhg 262 

IVeatment of Poison by Opium 262 

Opium Chewing 262 

Symptopis of Opium Chewing 262 

Treatment for Cure 263 



Climate and Health. 

Time Required for Complete Change of 
Body 263 

The Philosophy of Acclimation Ex- 
plained 263 

Effects of Dry and Moist Clim.ites 263 

Remarkable Facts Incident to a Moist 
Climate 264 

Influence of Climate upon National Char- 
acteristics 264 

Influence of Trees upon Climate 264 

Effects of Water upon Climate 264 

How to Relieve Certain Malarious Dis- 
tricts 265 

EvU Effect of Sudden Transitions in 
Climate 265 

Are Frequent Rains Beneficial ? 265 



Temperament and Health. 

Varieties of Physical Temperament 266 

Sanguine Temperament 266 

Bilious Temperament 266 

Lymphatic Temperament 266 

Encephalic Temperament 266 

Nervous Temperament 267 



Peeoautiohs and Health. 

Eating, Sleeping, and Speaking — Simple 

Precaution 267 

Danger from Wet Clothes 268 

Danger from Cosmetics 268 

Danger from Lamp Explosions 268 

How to Test Dangerous Kerosene 268 

Caution in Cleansing Wells 268 

Caution Concerning the Tea-pot 269 

Caution about Laughing Gas 269 

Cautioo Concerning Ice-Cream 269 



i 



Index. 



365 



Pa«e 

Cantlon in Carrying Lead Pencils 269 

Visiting Infected KooniB 270 

Dangerous Medicines 270 

Dangerous Medicines — Two Good 

Kales 270 

Mistakes in Prescription 270 

Using Medicines as Stimulants— Dan- 
ger 270 

How to Escape Fever Infections 271 

Fever Infections — Avoid the Poison 271 

Fever Infection — Ventilation 271 

Fever Infection — Avoid Absorbing It.. 271 

Fever Infection and Flannel 272 

Fever Infection and Fear 272 

Poisonous Soap 272 

Death from Nicotine 272 

Poison of Quinces 273 

Orange Peel Poisonous 273 

Danger in Carrying Friction Matches . . 273 

Care Concerning Poisonous Candies 273 

Death from Chloroform 274 

Care Concerning Ice Cream 274 

Danger of Green-Colored Materials 274 

How to Detect Arsenic in Colors 275 

Be Cautious of Poisonous Vegetables . . 275 



Antidotbs for Poisons — Hydrophobia. 

Animals Affected by Hydrophobia 275 

Period of Development 276 

Symptoms of Hydrophobia 276 

Treatment of Hydrophobia 276 



Antidotes foe Poisons— Snakk-Bites and 
Insects. 

What Snakes are Poisonous 277 

Symptoms of Snake Poison 278 

Antidotes for Snake-bites 278 

Bites of Venomous Insects 278 

Treatment of Insect Bites 279 



Antidotes for Poisons— Misoellaneoits. 

Poison Ivy and Oak : Remedies 279 

Lead Poisoning . 279 

Antidotes for Lead Poisoning 280 

Poisoning by the Filling of Teeth 280 

Poisoning by Wall Paper 280 

Phosphorus Poisoning 280 

Poisoning by Opium 280 

How to Act When Poison has been 
Swallowed 280 

Emkkgencies— How to Meet Them. 

liOss of Blood a Real Loss 281 

Bleeding from Veins 281 

Bleeding from Arteries 282 

Bleeding from the Teeth 282 

Rupture of a Large Blood- Vessel 282 

Fracture of the Skull 282 

Partial Fainting, and Its Relief 282 

Apparent Insensibility 282 



Page 

Compete Unconsciousness, and its Rem- 
edy 283 

Dislocation, and its Treatment 283 

Sprains and how to Cure Them 283 

Fracture of the Collar-bone 283 

Fracture of the Ribs 283 

Dislocations 284 

Clothing on Fire — Presence of Mind 

Needed 284 

Clothing on Fire— What to do 284 

To Prevent Clothing from Taking Fire . 28^1 

Cures for Lock-jaw 284 

Relief from Choking 284 

Frost Bites— Instant Remedy 285 

General Treatment for Burns and 

Scalds 285 

Cut Wounds— How to Heal quickly. ... 280 

How to Relieve Pain from Wounds 287 

Pain from Nail in the Foot 287 

Sunstroke — its History 287 

Sunstroke does not Follow Short Ex- 
posure 287 

Most Dangerous Time for Sunstroke . .. 287 
Premonitory Symptoms of Sunstroke .. 287 
Hints for the Prevention of Sunstroke.. 288 

Treatment of Sunstroke 288 

Treatment of Sunstroke after Recovery . 288 
Lightning Stroke: Preliminary Dangers 289 

A poplexy : Nature and Cause 289 

Treatment of Apoplexy 290 

How to Treat Delirious Patients 290 

Convulsions, and How to Stop Them... 290 



Emergencies — Drowning. 

What to do in Case of Drowning 291 

To Restore Breathing 291 

To Restore Circulation 294 

Recovery Twelve Hours After Drown- 
ing 295 

How to bring a Drowning Person to 

Shore 295 

Embkgencies— Fbaotukks. 
Definitions and IllustrationB 



Poultices and theie Application. 
General Purpose of a Poultice 297 

Brief Cubes fob Vabious Diseases. 

Colds — Seven Remedies 298 

How to Relieve Severe Coughs— Seven 

Good Recipes 299 

Cures for Sore Throat 300 

Headache 301 

Indigestion and Dyspepsia 301 

Biliousness 302 

DiilrrhoBa and Dysentery 303 

Constipation 30^1 

Cures for Boils 305 



366 



Index. 



Pare 

To Prevent and Cure Ulcers 305 

Felons 305 

Cancers 306 

Treatment of Scabies 307 

W hooping-Cough 307 

Croup 308 

Hay-fever — Class of Persons Affected. . . 309 

ITay-fever, Causes S09 

Hay-fever — Localities Most Affected 309 

Rpincdics for Hay-fover 310 

F.riii>tive Fevers 310 

Symptoms and Preventives of Fever . . . 310 

lielief of Sea-sickness 310 

To Avoid Sea-sickness 311 

Teuiporarj' Kelief for Neuralgia 311 

Cure of Staumiering 311 



Miscellaneous Healtu Notes. 

Pine "Woods and Health .311 

Danger of Cold Water in the Face 311 

A Most Refreshing Bath 311 

To Prevent Harm from Drinking Cold 

Water 311 

How to Avoid Pneumonia 312 

Position After Being Tired 312 

Opening Abscesses Under Water 312 

Pie-crust and Dvsr)epsia 312 

Little Things and Health 312 

Guarding Against Diphtheria 312 

Eating at Certain Intervals 312 

Time Required for Digesting Food 312 

Cold or Warm Drinks 312 

To Remove Bitter Taste 313 

Most Healthful Seat in a Car 313 

Causes of Lung Congestion 313 

Spread of Pestilence 313 

Sewing Machines and Health 313 

A Specific for Scrofula 313 

Suggestion to Parents about Sitting. ... 313 

Improper Sitting and its Evils 314 

Chewing Between Meals 314 

Remedy for Feverish ness 314 

Cause and (Jure of Leanness 314 

Cure of Obesity 314 

Chief Causes of Sudden Death 315 

Healthfulness of Pumpkins 315 

Medical Quahties of Pumpkins 315 

To Keep White Hands 315 

A Good Tooth-wash 316 

To Remove Moth from the Face 316 

Pimples on the Face 316 

To Strengthen the Hair 316 

To Cool a Room 316 

Protection from Damp Walls 316 

To Make a Good Court-l'laster 316 

To Relieve Whooping-cough 316 

Diphtheria — Its Symptoms 317 

Cause of Diphtheria 317 

Treatments of Diphtheria 317 

Infection Carried by Pet Animals 317 

Flies as Poison Gamers ^8 

To Prevent After-taste of Quiniue 318 

Inflation of the Lungs 318 

Diet for Dyspep »ac8 318 



Home Economics. 

Pat.r 

Wast(! in the Kitchen .310 

KrrciiEN FuRNiTUKE. — Cleaning. 

Heating New Iron 320 

To Prevent Crust in Tea-kettles 320 

To Clean Tea-kettles 320 

Glass 321 

Glass Vessels 321 

To Clean Coal-oil Cans 321 

Washing Knives and Forks 321 

To Clean Knives 321 

Scouring Knives 321 

To Extract Stains from Silver 321 

Silver Soap 321 

To Clean Silver 321 

Another Method of Cleaning Silver 321 

Cleaning Tinware 321 

To Clean Tin Covers 321 

To Polish Tins 322 

Papier-mache A rticles 323 

Jajianned Ware 322 

Cleaning Flour Boards 322 

Another Method 322 

To Clean Painted Wainscot 322 

Cleaning Old Brass 322 

To Clean a Brass Kettle 322 

To Clean Brasses, Britannia Metals, Etc., 322 

To Keep Iron from Rusting 322 

Paper for Cleaning Stoves, Tinware, Etc., 323 

Cleansing Bottles 323 



SoAi's AND Washing Fluids. 

Hard Soap 323 

Soft Soap 323 

Excellent Soft Soap 323 

Common Hard Soap 323 

Labor-saving Soap 324 

Honev Soap 324 

Using Soap 324 

Suggestioro 324 

Washing Fuiid 324 

To Make Hard Water Soft 324 

To Clear Muddy Water 324 



Washing Clothes. 

To Clean a White Lace Veil 325 

To Wash Fine. Colored Fabrics 325 

To Wash J^lerino Stockings 325 

To Make Colors Stand in Delicate Hose, 325 

To Wash Cliinlz 325 

Washing Prints 325 

Another 325 

To Make Use of Faded Prints 326 

Cleansing Blankets 326 

To Wash Flannel 326 

Restoring Wiiite Flannel 326 

Washing Woolen Clothing 326 

To Wash Table-linen 326 

To Preserve Clothes-pins 327 



Index. 



367 



Stabohing, Folding, and Ironing. 

Pa.;k 

To Prepare Starch 327 

Flour Stiirch 327 

Glue Starch 327 

Gum-arabic" Starch 327 

Starching Clothes 327 

Sprinkling Clothes 327 

Folding Clothes 327 

Gloss for Linen 327 

To Make Flat-irons Smooth 328 

Another 328 

To Preserve Irons from Rust 328 

To Remove Starch or Rust from Flat- 
irons 328 

Ironinj.' 328 

Starching — Clear-starching, Etc 328 

To Clear-starch Lace, Etc 328 

Ironinff Laces 329 



Rkmovlnq Stains. 



Grease Spots 

Stains from Acids 

W ine Stains 

Iron Rust 

To Take Out Scorch 

Mildewed Linen 

To Remove Mildew 

Another Metliod 

Coffee Stjiins 

Grass Stains 

Tea SUiins 

Medicine Stains 

Fruit Stains 

Fruit Stains on Table-linen 

Fruit and Wine Stains. 

Ink Stains 

To Take Marking: -ink Out of Linen 

Ink in Cotton. Silk, and Woolen Goods, 

Ink Stains in Mahogany 

Ink Stains on Silver 

Ink and Iron-mould 

To Remove Stains from Floors 

To Preserve Steel Goods from Rust 

To Remove Paint Stains on Windows.. 

Stains on the Hands 

To Preserve PoUshed Iron Work 

If Rust 

To Extract Grease Spots from Books . . . 

Removing Tar Spots 

Ammonia for Renovation 

Removing Grease from Silk 

Removing Grease from Coat Collars 

To Restore Crape 

To Clean Furs 

'l"o Preserve Furs 

To Clean Velvet 

To Restore Silk 

Wrinkled Silk 

To Bleach White Silks or Flannels 

To Clean White Ostrich Feathers 

'T'o Clean Feathers 

To Make Cloth Waterproof 

To Clean Black Cloth 

Cleaning Silk and Merinos 



.329 
329 
329 
329 
329 



329 
329 
330 
330 
330 
3.30 
330 
330 
330 
830 
330 
330 
330 
330 
330 
331 
381 
331 
3.31 
331 
331 
331 
332 
332 
332 
332 
332 
332 
332 
333 
333 
333 
333 
333 
333 
333 
333 
333 
334 



Paoe 

To Color Kid Gloves 334. 

To Clean Kid Gloves 334 

Wa.>ihing Kid Gloves 334 

To Extract Grease from Papered Walls. 334 
To Clean Wall Paper 334 



Whitewashing and Painting. 

Cracks in Plastering 33^ 

To Fill Holes in Walls 334 

Brilliant Zinc WMiitewash 3.3.5 

Cheap Whitewash 335 

Making Paper Stick to Whitewashed 

W'alls 335 

New Recipe for "Whitewash 335 

A Brilliant Stucco Whitewash 335 

To Color and Prevent Whitewash from 

Rubbing Off 3.35 

Paint for Kitchen Walls 336 

Fire and Water-Proof Paint 336 



Polishing Fuenitukb. 

French Naphtha Polish 3.36 

French Spirit Polish 336 

Polish or Mahogany Color 336 

Simplest Polish for Oiled Furniture 336 

Oil for Red Furniture 336 

Polish for Oil and Alcohol 336 

Polish for Leather Cushions, etc 336 

To Give a Fine Color to Cheiry-Tree 

Wood 337 

To Stain Black Walnut 337 

Imitation Ebony Stain 337 

To Ebonize Various Woods 337 

Water and Varnished Furniture 337 

Cleansing Polish for Furniture 337 

Where and IIow to Varnish 338 

Varnish f(»r Unpainted Wood 338 

Blacking for Staves 3.38 

Brunswick Black for Varnishing Grates. 338 

To Clean Bronzed Chandeliers, etc 338 

For Cleaning Brasses Belonging to Furni- 
ture 338 

To Clean Sinks 338 



Articles for the Toilet. 

Rose Oil 339 

Cologne Water 339 

To Wash Hair Brushes 339 

A Paste for Sharpening Razors 339 

Shaving Cream 339 

To Curl Hair 339 

To Remove Tight Rings 339 

Rose Lip-Salve 340 



B1KD8 AND Bird-Food. 

To Distinguish Canaries 340 

Place for Cages 340 

Size of Cage Perciies 340 

Food for- Canary Birds 340 



368 



IlTDEX. 



Page 

Care of Yoan| JanarI«B 340 

Paiasitcft upon Canaries 341 

To Destroy Parasites 341 

Food for Mocking-Birds 341 

To Distinguish Thrushes— Food 341 

Care of Young Thrushes 341 

Food of Bullfinches 341 

Care of Young Bullfinches 342 

Linnets and Their Food 342 

Blackbirds and Their Food 342 

To Distinguish Skylarks 342 

The Cages of Skylarks 342 

Food of Skylarks 343 

EuLse FOB Cabving. 

Carving Knives 343 

Carving Dishes 343 

To CarVe a Fowl 343 

To Carve a "FiUet " . . 343 

To Carve a Eound of Beef 343 

To Carve a Sirloin 343 

To Carve a Leg 343 

To Carve a Pig 343 

To Carve a Calf's Head. . ^ 343 

To Carve a Saddle of Mutton 343 



Pagb 

To Carve a Spare-Rib 343 

To Carve P'ish 343 

Order of Serving 343 

Pastb and Cements. 

Kice Flour Cement 348 

Paste that will Keep a Year 348 

Liquid Glue 348 

To Prevent Glue from Smelling Badly. . 349 

Cement for Iron and Stone 349 

Diamond Cement 349 

Cement for Metal and Glass 349 

Glue for Uniting Card-Board, etc 349 

A Cement Withstanding Heat and Moist- 
ure 349 

Cement for Crockery 349 

To Make Compound Glue 350 

Household Oenamknts. 

Pretty Hanging Ornaments 350 

Pretty Mantel Ornaments 350 

Rules for Arranging Cut Flowers 351 

To Crystallize Grasses 351 

To Take Leaf Impressions 352 

Rockeries, Vases, and Hanging-Baskets. 352 



INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS-SUPPLEMENTAL. 

PAGE 

The Human Skeleton— three cuts, graphically illustrating the location and name 

of the various bones of the human body 69 

Muscles of the Human Body— three cuts, showing the names and location of the 

principal muscles • • • • • ^ • • • , — • • • • '''^ 

The Nervous and Arterial Systems of the Body— two cuts, with ample explanatory 

notes ti—io 

The Brain and Cranial Nerves, with a large number of explanatory notes 73-75 

The Human Eye— three illustrations, with explanatory notes 140 

The Human Ear— three illustrations showing how we hear 149-152 

The Human Skin— showing the various departments of it, including the papillae, 
sweat ducts, sweat glands, and other parts of the skin, as seen under a power- 

f ul microscope • • ^'^ 

The Method of Preparing and Applying Various Bandages in Case of Fi-actures— 

eleven cuts — ^^ 

The Method of Carving Meats— eight illustrations ;,:••• '^'** 

The Method of Roasting and Carving Poultry and other Game Birds— seven illus- 

The Method of" Carving Fish— three cuts : 346 

The Method of Cutting and Designing the parts of Beef— two illustrations. . . . .... ^7 

Snoring, and How to Stop It— tv^o cuts 1^4, ito 

Tight Lacing and Health— four cuts WoV 'xu 

Emergencies— Drowning— four cuts Mi-^Ji 



